


The Difference Between Medicine and Poison

by PokehTurtle



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Biting, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Mystery, Romance, Smut, Vampires, Violence, Werewolves, Witches, Zombies, and beasties oh my!, pretty much all supernatural shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2018-12-12 09:07:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 53,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11733966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PokehTurtle/pseuds/PokehTurtle
Summary: After a body is found mangled and completely drained of blood on her college campus, Blake Belladonna becomes determined to find the killer and throws herself headlong into the mystery; the only problem being that she's pretty sure her new crush, Yang Xiao Long, is a murderer.





	1. A Chase of Sorts

_Get in feed get out. Get in feed get out. Get in feed get ou-_

_The mantra repeated through her head as she snuck out of the apartment building, landing gracefully on the fire escape of the old brick building. Rusted and old screws groaned and squeaked as she paced across the old metal frame, moving as quickly as she could without being detected. Why he had to live in such a dingy old apartment complex was beyond her. She wasn’t even sure why she was complaining, seeing as she’d probably never see him again if she could help it. A somewhat blunt and crude break up note was waiting on his fridge, written in red pen and dotted with a heart._

_He’d been a nice guy. Good looking, strong, and most importantly, dumb and completely ignorant to the fact that she was looking at him like he was a cocktail the whole time. A delicious cocktail, albeit missing one of those tiny umbrellas. Like everyone else however, it was time to move on before he became wise to her game and the veil wore off. Three weeks was usually her limit, four if she liked them a lot. Several weeks of romping around, blood, and having fun. Her dad hated it. He always told her it was safer to get some random schmuck off the street. Told her that it was safer to not get close to those outside the family._

_Boring. She wanted to actually enjoy her life. Her childhood had been miserable, in no small part thanks to her father._

_Flipping open a compact mirror from her bag, she rubbed off a spot of blood she’d missed on the right corner of her lip; writing it off as lipstick only worked so many times. As much as she wanted to stay out raging the night away, her sister was expecting her home soon and she expected an earful in return when she got back._

_The young woman licked her lips and savoured the taste of her now former paramour’s blood. Her father just really didn’t get it; a meal wasn’t nearly as good from some random person. She felt a tinge of guilt as she walked, a familiar feeling of abandonment and sorrow overtaking her. It hurt, not that she would let anyone know that._

_She entered their apartment quietly and saw her sister, the spitting image of her mother, snoring softly on their couch, snuggled up in an oversized blanket. She must of stayed up late waiting for her big sister to come home. With a smile on her face she kissed the younger girl's forehead, tucked the blanket in further and went to sleep herself, plopping down onto the bed and holding back a few tears. Blood was like a drug. The tremendous high came with tremendous pits as she remembered her monstrous nature and how alone she was.  
_

\-----

“Promise you'll be safe honey?”

“Yes mom.”

“Don't drink too much!”

“Yes mom.”

“And use protection if you sleep with someone!”

“Dear!”

“Mom!”

“I'm just messing with you honey.” Kali Belladonna wrapped her furiously blushing daughter into her arms, the college sophomore embarrassed beyond belief, father equally as mortified. He coughed loudly into his hand to get their attention, rough features giving way to show a softer, more concerned look. 

“Do be back by midnight though Blake.” He began, voice stern. “The recent disappearances shouldn’t be taken lightly. I can’t even imagine what we’d do if you went missing.” 

Her parents shared a worried glance, fingers tapping nervously and eyes tight with stress. 

As much as she wanted to roll her eyes, Blake recognized her father’s earnesty. Fourteen people had gone missing in three months and the police department hadn’t been able to locate a single person. Both young and old had seemingly vanished into thin air, with few clues as to their whereabouts, if any. She couldn’t even imagine the stress it was putting on her father, seeing as he was one of the detectives in charge of the case. The public had more than a few choice words for the police lately. The whole city was on edge. Having one of the most powerful militaries in the world and a high tech defense system known as the wall, Vale was supposed to be safe, free of Grimm and dangerous for criminals. Not that Blake was worried about it. She’d dealt with plenty of real monsters before in her past. 

“I promise I’ll be back dad. The party’s just a few blocks away.” It was embarrassing that she still lived at home while many of her friends were staying in dorms or apartments; still, her dislike of parties would ensure she was back far before curfew. She’d even brought a book in her bag in case the socialization became a little much. 

As a faunus, she’d spent most of her youth in Menagerie, a beautiful island city with her family. When they moved to Vale, rules started to overwhelm her life; rules that were meant to keep her safe in a racist environment of course, but that didn’t stop her from feeling stifled at times. 

The cat ears poking through her black hair were an ever present reminder that some people would always treat her like an animal. It angered her, knowing that the ignorant prejudices of humanity would always limit her. It wasn't fair. Part of her wished she had gone off and joined the White Fang all those years ago. 

“I’ll see you soon.” She hugged both her parents a final time, astute hearing picking up a conversation about the kidnappings even after she shut the door, parents apparently thinking they were being far quieter than they actually were. It was a common problem with parents in general it seemed. 

“I’m telling you dear, it’s something dark. The wall-”

“The wall is fine. It hasn’t been breached in decades Kali. There are no Grimm in the city.”

Blake sighed, swallowed a lump in her throat and walked down the once unfamiliar streets of the city. Her family was blessed to live in a nice place in town, close to the college (her mother had insisted she live at home due to the proximity) and the docks. She’d spent many evenings skipping rocks into the ocean with her friends (other faunus she’d had the luck to befriend) at the shoreline. The smell of salt and brine filled her nose as she passed the port, watching as busy workers covered in sweat shuffled back and forth from cargo and fishing ships. It was lively despite the air of fear that had breathed its way into the city. 

Tall buildings new and old dotted the skyline, a crystalline pattern of lights beginning to illuminate the city as the sun set in a strangely beautiful tapestry. Evening hardly marked the end of the day for such a large city; life continued far into the night. 

Particularly for college students like Blake.  
Her phone vibrated in her jeans to remind her of that. 

_’blake where are u the parties starting!!!’_ the text read. 

She could hear the sound of bass pumping and tearing at the foundation of the old building as she approached her friend Sun’s house, right as she was responding to his text. 

_’I’m right outside dumbass’_

The door slammed open, letting more of the dance music (not to mention the rancid smell of cheap booze and weed) leak out into the air as Sun Wukong, ‘partier extraordinaire’ as he so often misspelled, ran out to meet up with Blake. He lived in a spacious old house with three others, one of whom was lucky enough to have a dad that footed the bill for the most part. She wondered if Scarlett’s dad had any idea of what his son’s exploits entailed. 

“There you are! Everyone else is here already. You can’t always be _fashionably_ late y’know.” He placed his hands on his hips in an exaggerated fashion, monkey tail curling up. Sun had been a good friend to Blake since she arrived in Vale all those years ago; he was one of the first faunus she had met, and despite some of Sun’s more annoying proclivities, the two got along rather swimmingly. More or less. 

“I live like two blocks away Sun.” Blake grinned, noting that the monkey faunus had already lost his shirt for the night (several hours earlier than the last time), revealing his ever chiseled set of abs. She honestly wondered how he found the time to work out in between classes and his never ceasing shenanigans. He and his best friend Neptune were well known for the series of pranks they performed around campus.

“Details. Come on in already! Neptune picked up some of the new transfer students and stuff too. I can’t think of a better way to kick off the semester!” 

“I don’t think you’re putting enough thought into it then.”

“Aw c’mon, you love us!”

“Someone has to.” She rolled her eyes as she stepped through the doorway, ears nearly vibrating from the subwoofer blasting in the living room, making her want a drink ever so badly. The loud noises felt harsh on her faunus ears, but she didn't want to tell them to turn it down exclusively for her sake. Several of her friends were chatting and dancing throughout the house; Coco and Velvet were relaxing on the stairs with a few beers as they watched a group of faunus from school ‘attempting’ to play beer pong. A stray ping pong ball landed in a girl’s hair the room over to a chorus of inebriated laughter. Neptune was attempting to chat up a few partiers in the kitchen, to mixed results. She didn’t recognize any of them; they must have been the transfers Sun had been talking about. Neptune was one of those stupid ‘campus ambassadors’, so he likely had invited them during the campus tour. 

_It’ll be amusing to watch him strike out with all of them at least._ She thought as she filled up a glass of vodka and fruit juice, making the unpalatable bottom shelf liquor somewhat tolerable. Her intention was far from getting stone cold drunk, but a little alcohol would help her loosen up a bit. Conversation was not her strong suit. 

“Hey Blake!” A cheerful, saccharinely sweet voice chirped. 

“Hey Nora.” Blake responded after taking a hearty swig of her drink. Her fellow friend was rollerblading through the crowded house with reckless abandon. Ren, her ever present companion was nowhere to be found. Maybe he was sick or something. The two were hardly ever apart. 

She took another sip for good measure. Apparently it was going to be one of _those_ nights. 

“We were waiting for you to show up!” She laughed wildly as she launched a ping pong ball successfully into a cup of beer, the group whooping and hollering as she crouched down underneath the table, rolling smoothly across the laminate floor. 

“How can you do all that and still be a better shot than me?!” Scarlet, one of Sun’s housemates bemoaned as Nora’s cackles of victory rang out through the halls. Sun patted his shoulder in consolation, shoving the cup of beer in his face. 

“Years of practice I think. Drink up buddy.” 

Everyone’s energy filled the house with a bright, albeit crazy feeling. Parties weren’t really Blake’s favorite thing, but she usually attended in the name of being social (and getting Sun to stop complaining about her never hanging out with everyone). As much as she was loathe to admit it, it _was_ a somewhat pleasant way to start out the semester. Seeing everyone so happy was nice. That would change quickly once classes started. 

“Hey Blake, come meet the new guys!” Neptune’s voice called out right aShe as she was about to sit down and ‘watch’ the beer pong game. Ugh. She hadn’t really wanted to meet the newbies. Making new friends was hard enough as a faunus; her own antisocial tendencies made it a true chore. 

Begrudgingly, Blake made her way over to the group in the dirty as all hell kitchen, knowing that she’d get an earful if she didn’t. Neptune gestured to the group of students before them, introducing them from left to right. 

“Alright, We’ve got Jaune, Weiss, Ruby, and uh, Yang right?” He ended his introduction with a snap and a pair of finger guns. 

_God you’re lame Neptune._ Blake thought to herself as she eyed the students over. Jaune was a scrawny looking blonde who seemed a bit out of his element; he was wearing a pair of converse that were shockingly clean (probably new for the school year) and holding his beer like it was a red hot piece of metal. Clearly, he didn’t get out very much. She couldn’t blame him, seeing as she wasn’t a social butterfly herself. 

The next girl looked rich. Really rich, yet also out of her element. She looked bored as all hell and kept glancing down at the special edition smartwatch on her wrist, as though it would make time go faster. Her heels were a notable designer brand and her white hair was done up in a tie that had _gemstones_ inlaid in it. Literal gemstones. Neptune kept glancing at her in an _almost_ subtle way. She didn't seem to mind though. 

‘Ruby’ was short. And rather young looking. Blake questioned whether or not the girl was actually a college student like everyone else drinking and screaming at the party. Her bright red hoodie was almost blinding with how clean it was, but it also looked fairly worn. Patches and quick fixes littered the fabric, indicating that it was a well loved piece of clothing. She looked like she was having a good time, despite looking so young. Her curiously colored silver eyes were bright and full of joy. 

She finally made her way to the last girl in the circle, who flashed her own pair of finger guns back at Neptune. 

“Yep! Got it in one man.” 

Her tits wer- her _breasts_ , were enormous. Blake almost felt bad for taking those in first, but the blond girl had chosen a white sundress that _really_ brought them out. It took Blake a moment to register everything else about her. Her hair was a beautiful mess of golden curls and her eyes were a lovely shade of purple. She wore sandals that were far simpler and more humble than Weiss’s expensive heels, but were much nicer in Blake’s opinion. The young woman was gorgeous and she clearly knew it. Her muscles were certainly nothing to joke about either. Blake probably could have done pull ups on them. 

“Awesome! I can be good at names when I want to.” Neptune patted himself on the back.

“Sure.” Blake smirked, taking yet another sip out of her ever so soothing beverage. 

“And this is…”  
Neptune pointed to Blake. 

Her heart skipped a beat.  
Yang turned her head to face Blake, the two locking eyes and the faunus could have sworn that her eyes were red for a moment. Redder than the hoodie of the young girl standing next to her. The blonde grinned as she made eye contact with Blake, bright white teeth lined up and sharp making Blake feel ice running down her spine, shooting up into her fingertips and almost making her drop her drink. She felt paralyzed in place, like someone had chained her to the ground. She felt terrified. 

And as soon as it happened the feeling went away. Neptune elbowed her playfully, telling her to hurry up and introduce herself, knocking her out of her stupor. It had been nothing, probably. Just the alcohol. The girl looked perfectly normal and amicable. 

“Oh uh, I’m Blake. Literature Major.” She tried to compose herself and failed miserably, staring into her beverage instead of at the people she was supposed to be talking to. Her pupils looked dilated and shaky in the alcohol’s reflection. 

_Nice job Blake. Smooth as always._

“Jaune! Er, Jaune Arc. I’m majoring in Lit too.” The boy chirped, voice cracking slightly as he introduced himself. “We might have some classes together!”

“Am I the only business major here?” Weiss asked, seemingly irritated for some god forsaken reason. Blake had the distinct feeling they weren’t going to get along very well, if she kept hanging out with Sun and Neptune, which seemed unlikely at least judging by her bitchy attitude. 

“Nah, Coco’s majoring in that too so you’ll probably see her around.” Neptune answered, eagerly jumping at the chance to talk to the rich girl. Blake certainly understood his attraction but wasn’t totally sure why he hadn’t popped a boner over Yang instead. To each their own apparently. 

“My little sis here is joining the military academy! I’m so proud!” Speaking of Yang, the well endowed girl ruffled the younger girl’s hair, eliciting embarrassed giggles from her small frame. 

_No red eyes again._ Blake thought to herself, watching as the two siblings palled around. It was weird picturing the two young women as soldiers training to defend Vale. Her own father had been an ex graduate from Beacon’s military academy, having patrolled the wall for years before retiring to the police. Blake herself wasn't so eager to fight. She was content with her writing and quiet life. 

“Yang geez!” Ruby laughed. “You’re joining too.”

“Yeah, but you're still so young! It's crazy impressive.” Yang puffed, smiling like any good big sister would at her sibling’s embarrassment. 

“You’re… related?” Blake asked, immediately regretting blurting out her first thoughts to someone she’d just barely met. It was an honest question however; the two girls barely looked alike. Blond hair didn't match black. 

“Different moms same dad!” Yang cheerfully explained, continuing to further ‘embarrass’ her little sister with a bear hug. A faint, ‘Yang you’re crushing me’ could be heard. “I’m Yang by the way. Yang Xiao Long.” 

She extended her hand out to Blake, revealing a shockingly well calloused palm and fingertips. With some hesitation and a shot of fear Blake returned the handshake, forcing out a small smile to match the blonde’s extreme chipperness. 

“And you’re doing the academy too…?” Blake began, noting how surprisingly warm the girl’s hand felt. 

“I’ve always been good with my hands.” Yang smacked her fists together with a wink. 

“You don’t say huh? What kinda hands on stuff…” Neptune began, before being promptly silenced by a stomp on the foot from Blake. Yang snickered, a disturbingly lovely and sweet sound. She couldn't believe the alcohol had made her think such a relaxed girl was a threat. 

“I’m gonna head back to the game.” Blake tossed a thumb towards the beer pong match, where Sun was appearing to be losing and getting more drunk by the second, which, Blake noted, was exactly the state she was hoping to be soon. Her still icy nerves had shattered any desire she had to remain sober. 

“N-nice meeting you!” Jaune’s distinct voice called out. 

The party went on and on without so much of a hitch, which was surprising. Nothing had been set on fire, no one had thrown up, and for the most part, everyone was leaving her alone. She’d pulled out her book and had settled down onto a comfy leather recliner, losing herself in the story and enjoy the anonymous bliss that came with it. 

“Whatcha reading?” A young voice called out. 

So much for her bliss. Blake looked up to see Ruby and her older sister Yang standing around her roost, inquisitive silver eyes trying to discern the title of the book she was reading. It was one of her favorite stories and the old hardbound cover was worn and faded. 

She matched eyes with the buxom blond again, looking for any sort of sign of that iciness she’d felt before. The only thing that met her gaze was a pair of beautiful lilac eyes, however. She felt her face growing a bit flush. 

“Oh- nothing really.” Blake responded, looking back down at her book in an attempt to get the other two to leave. Sun and Neptune would smack her across the back of her head if they new how _aggressively_ anti social she was being. 

“I think it’s the _Midnight Princess._ ” Yang suddenly said, nearly shocking Blake into spitting her dollar fifty drink onto the old pages. 

“That’s one of my favorite stories!” Ruby practically squealed. “Remember all the times you read it to me when we were you younger?”

“I’ve practically got the damn thing memorized.” The older sibling groaned, exasperated. Blake was shocked either of them had heard of it; it was an obscure fantasy story about a cursed princess that was over 20 years old, written before Blake had even been born. 

“You’ve read it?” Blake asked, suddenly slightly more curious about the two transfer students. It was surprising enough to find humans that would give a faunus the time of day, let alone two who’d also read one of her favorite obscure novels. “I’m surprised you know it. I haven’t met a lot of people who’ve read it…”

“Dozens of time.” Ruby smiled sweetly. “Not including when Yang would read it to me.” 

“The second she learned how to read it was out of my hands. Literally.” Yang shrugged, ruffling her little sister’s mop of red-black hair. It was pretty cute. Blake was an only child and unfamiliar with the camaraderie of siblings. 

“We just thought we’d come over and say hello again.” Ruby continued, bouncing back and forth on the heels of her feet. “You seem super cool Blake!” 

“If you’re joining the academy I probably won’t see you much.” Blake finally closed her book, giving up on trying to read more. The two girls seemed nice; part of her thought it was a shame they weren't all majoring together. Friends were hard to come by. 

“We’ll be around a lot.” Yang grinned widely, showing off those perfectly white teeth from before. “The two of us spend a lot of time together. I’m the best big sis around.” 

“Yang, stop bragging!” Ruby poked her sister playfully. “Tell us about yourself Blake!”

“Uh… ok, I guess.” Blake tentatively bookmarked her place and returned her book to her bag.

Before she knew it an hour had passed by chatting with the two sisters, the three of them moving to the front porch where it was slightly quieter after a quick request from Blake. The two girls were from Patch, an island city off the coast of Vale dotted with picturesque mountains, pine trees, and rivers. It was a popular vacation spot for those who could get permission to leave the city. Blake wasn’t entirely sure why the sisters had moved to Vale with their father; they both seemed weirdly cagey about it. 

“You said you’re from Menagerie?” Yang asked her, drinking from a sickly red colored drink. It smelled like Tequila and strawberries. 

“Yeah. We moved here when I was fourteen.” Blake responded, watching as Ruby tried to throw some now beer scented ping pong balls into the open mailbox on the lawn. It was probably more appropriate to say that she was avoiding looking at Yang’s thighs. While sitting down, her legs were _quite_ visible in the moonlight. There was very little left to the imagination. 

“You miss it at all?” Yang crossed her legs, drawing Blake’s attention back to them. She forced herself not to choke on her drink. As loathe as she was to admit it she was hardly free from unsavory thoughts. A relationship however, was the last thing on her mind. 

“Sometimes.” Blake sighed. “It was easier there. Being a faunus here is hard sometimes.”

“I bet that’s an understatement.” Yang placed a hand on Blake’s shoulder, making the raven haired girl flinch.

“Sorry! My bad, I won’t do it again.” The blonde seemed genuinely apologetic. Her eyes _still_ hadn’t turned red earlier like Blake had thought either. She must have been seeing things. It must have been the alcohol, she told herself for the millionth time. 

There was a very, very strange feeling about Yang she couldn’t shake though, despite her own self reassurances. 

“It’s ok, you just surprised me.” She rubbed her shoulders in an act of self comfort. “I’m not super… touchy. Or good with strangers for that matter.”

“I get that.” Yang yawned and leaned back on her palms, setting her sugar bomb of a drink down onto the patio. “I probably shouldn't be as touchy with people as I am.”

“It’s fine Yang.” Her legs shuffled against each other awkwardly. “Why are you two joining the academy? It’s a lot of hard work.”

“Heh, we probably don’t look like soldiers huh?” Yang sipped her drink, strawberry colored liquor tinging her lips red. “Our dad used to patrol the wall when he was a whipper-snapper. It just kinda… seems right y’know?” 

Blake stared at Yang’s muscles, thinking to herself that the blond would easily look the part in a uniform. Ruby was the one that seemed far more out of place. She wondered what such a small girl was doing joining the ranks of warriors. 

“Why are you a writer?” Yang rested her chin in her hands with a knowing smirk. “You seem the type.”

“... I never said that.” Blake blushed slightly. Sure, she was a literature major, but was it that obvious that she wrote? Often she’d stay up late into the night writing, crafting stories she could escape into. It was cathartic. It felt right and she knew it was what she wanted to do. 

“Sure.” Yang responded with a lilt. “It’s cool though y’know? I couldn’t ever do something like that. I’m a bit of a brute.”

“Really?” Blake responded with a smirk. “Beat a lot up people up in that dress?”

“Only on Sundays.” She winked. Blake’s cheeks flushed again. Was she qflirting? The conversation was cut short by a resounding crash of glass and the sound of disgruntled college students. Blake sighed and stood up, heading back inside the house with a mumbled, “god what now?”

Yang snickered and grabbed Ruby, following the faunus back inside the house which was increasingly smelling of weed and alcohol. 

Sun was in the kitchen with a few others trying to clean up an absolute mess of glass that had gotten knocked over. The monkey faunus was still chipper even as he picked up the remains of a few beer bottles. 

“Hey Blake!” He gave a toothy smile. “Neptune smacked me into the counter.”

“I did not! You stepped on my foot!” Neptune gestured to his shoes, disgruntled that the brown leather loafers had a nice big footprint on them now. He'd always been rather paranoid and vain about his appearance, not that she blamed him. 

“Meh, it’s fine.” Sun grunted, scooping glass into a paper bag with one of his sandals. 

“Does it really matter?” Blake rolled her eyes at her two friends, crouching down to help Sun pick up some of the larger glass pieces out of the slurry of beer and whatever the hell else. It smelled awful. 

“Hey it’s cool Blake, you don’t have to help out-” 

Sun’s statement came a little too late as Blake hissed slightly, cutting her finger on an unseen shard of glass. Of course she would get cut trying to help. 

_Dammit, I should have known better._ She mentally berated herself, trying to excuse her mistake by blaming it on the alcohol. Her finger felt wet as a fine trickle of blood dripped out. 

“Let me see your hand.” The faunus girl nearly jumped out of her skin as Yang seemingly teleported to her side, gently grabbing Blake’s hand and examining her cut. 

“It’s fine, just a little scratch.” She tried to pull her hand away from Yang, surprised by how intensely the girl was holding onto her. 

“You’re bleeding.” Her new ‘friend’ responded, in a surprisingly quiet voice. Yang’s hand felt warm, burningly so, yet Blake still felt her veins go cold and ice flood her veins, just like she felt before. Fear put any warmth she felt through an ice blaster. Swallowing a heavy lump in her throat, she caught Yang’s eyes once more and stared into red caves like volcanos, burning coals. She hadn't imagined things earlier. 

The faunus struggled to find something in those red eyes, any sort of emotion. Hunger, maybe. Of what kind she wasn’t sure. They were easy to fall into, like a thief overwhelmed with greed at the sight of rubies. They pulled her in. 

“I-it's fine.” Blake yanked her hand away, watching as the girl's eyes slowly change back to purple, the color bleeding back out into her irises like ink through water. Her smile was so disarming, bright, and white.

 _What’s with this girl? She’s… something's very wrong with her._ She thought to herself, suddenly wanting to be very far away from the party. 

“I think she’s ok Yang.” Ruby stepped close, grabbing her sister’s shoulder and pulling her away. She gave Blake a worried, knowing glance that made the faunus’s pulse quicken a bit more. 

“Just checking.” The older sister brushed it off with a smile and a casual shrug. “Be more careful ok?”

Sun gave the two girls a weird look, bushy blond eyebrows raised at the interaction, but Blake wasn’t about to tell him that she thought the new student had demon eyes or anything. 

“I'll clean it up really quick.” Blake stood up and headed to the bathroom, cupping her hand under her finger to catch any blood before it fell onto the floor. 

The cool water from the faucet felt good against the cut. It wasn't a grievous injury by any means, cuts on fingers tending to look far worse than they actually were. She let out a sigh, breath trembling slightly as she checked her phone for the time. 

_Almost midnight._ She’d need to be back home soon. It was a welcome excuse to leave after her strange interaction with Yang. Blake grabbed a small bandaid out of the medicine cabinet and wrapped it around her cut finger, trying not to feel bad about her sudden distrust of the blond. As she headed back out into the kitchen area, she noticed the absence of a certain red eyed woman and her younger sister. 

“Did they leave?” Blake asked a still crouched Sun. 

“The new kids? Yeah they said they had to go after you left. They were kinda weird about it actually…” Sun’s tail curled up in that curious way it always did when he was confused. 

“Well, I have to go myself.” Blake said with a sigh. “Good party though Sun.”

“Parents breathing down your neck again? You can always just spend the night here Blake.” He grinned. His teeth were bright and white, reminding her of that chilling smile from before. 

“I don't want to make them angry.” Blake shrugged. Aside from that, she also was really, really craving the safety and comfort of her own bed. “I'll see you at school Monday ok?”

“You don't want a ride either? Uh, not that I'm good to drive probably…” She shook her head. He seemed somewhat despondent but didn't object. “See you Monday Blake.”

She eagerly left the house and started back for her home, giving the rest of her friends short goodbyes and waves. The air was cold outside and nipped at her ears, human and feline. It almost made her crave that sickening warmth from Yang's hands from earlier. 

\-----

Her blood felt like fire. Her veins ached and creaked like old piping in factory, craving oil to lubricate ancient gears. She'd learned self control over the years out of necessity, but even just the sight of that pure, red, sweet smelling blood on Blake’s finger had nearly set her off. After Ruby got home safe she'd go out, have a quick meal, just a bite or two to stave off the lust and hunger. It was a shitty existence that she had only her parents to blame for. 

“You ok Yang?” Her sister brushed up next to her as they continued to walk back to their apartment. 

“Yeah.” Yang nodded in response, forcing a smile. “I think I'm ok. Wasn't expecting it was all.”

“I mean, you were kinda eyeing her earlier…” Ruby added sheepishly, silver eyes reflecting no small amount of concern. 

“Did you see her? She was really freakin’ cute Rubes!”

“I mean like-”

“I know what you mean.” Yang cut her sister off, sadness staining an otherwise cheerful voice. Ruby was one of a handful of people who knew her secret, and apart of an even smaller group that actually cared. 

“I don't just go and bite people Ruby.” Yang grumbled. Lord only knew what crap their dad had told Ruby about her before she came to live with her older sis. Her dad loved her, she knew that, but it was obvious when he looked at her how fearful he was, fearful that she'd turn out like her mom. She loathed the comparison. Yang would rather die than be compared to such a selfish bitch. 

“I-I know! Sorry Yang…” 

“It's ok! No worries.” She nuzzled her little sister lovingly. Ruby was sweet, almost unbelievably so. Yang could hardly believe someone could be so kind and innocent in such a crappy world. The two came to their apartment complex, a modest old structure on the northern side of town, Yang handing Ruby her house key. 

“I'll be back soon ok? Just gotta do something really quick.”

Ruby smiled, the corners of her mouth not quite raising up all the way. She knew what that meant. 

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

\-----

It was pretty easy to find someone that night. Some jackass had decided to catcall her at one in the goddamn morning. She'd backed him up into an alleyway and sunk her teeth into his neck, warm, savory blood dripping out. It wasn't particularly satisfying, but he was an asshole who deserved it, at the very least. 

She stalked back home, keeping to the shadows to cloak her presence. It was a pain. Even after getting used to it, turning it into more of a science than anything else, she wished she could have just gone home and slept like everyone else. She had to eat though, like everyone else unfortunately. Years ago she'd sworn to never, ever feed off her family. She was enough of a black sheep as it was already. Ruby was talented and special in ways an average person couldn't imagine. Her sister was strong or heart and mind and would do great things for the world. Yang wasn't like that. She was just floating along like a drifter, trying to enjoy the most out of her life as she could, despite her tremendous burden. 

She found herself in her bed once again, unable to sleep, eyes boring holes into the ceiling. Her thoughts drifted back to the girl she'd met at Neptune’s party. Quiet, shy, and drop dead gorgeous; Blake. 

_I want to see her again._ She tumbled over onto her side, thinking about the beautiful black haired beauty, and how her blood had smelled like wine.


	2. Nothing Better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some potentially triggering language regarding homophobia in this chapter. It's just one word near the end. ALSO WHOOPS THERE WAS A HUGE SECTION OF THE CHAPTER MISSING EARLIER I FIXED IT

There weren't many people Blake's age who still kept a diary, but she found herself logging the chronicles of her day even as a college student. It helped unpack events, putting them down into a objective space where she could analyse and reflect. School had finally come and the first few days had been utterly uneventful. Syllabus day, introductions… it was always the same. 

She had a big break in between classes around lunchtime and had been having lunch (packed lovingly by her mother) in the quad underneath a big ancient tree that the stupider members of the student body (Sun, unfortunately) tried to climb with mixed results. It provided shade and protection from the sun, which Blake still craved, even with winter approaching. 

“Whatcha doing?”

“Oh, hey Sun.” Her friend plopped down next to her, laying out completely on the grass with a groan. He was barely dressed, sandals, shorts, and lose top showing off his sun kissed muscles. The faunus was fairly popular with the ladies this time of year. As far as Blake was concerned, all she could think off was how cold he must have been in all his classes. 

“Blake, school sucks.”

“Sun, it's the first week.”

“I know. School sucks!”

She sighed and shut her diary, taking another bite out of the sandwich her mom had packed for her before looking down at Sun making puppy dog eyes at her. 

“What?” She asked. He only did that when he wanted something. 

“Let's go drinking tonight! I need a break from classes. It's thirsty Thursday anyways. Two for one beers at Junior’s.” He rolled over onto his stomach, faunus tail rocking back and forth at a steady rate. 

“I'd really rather not.” Blake responded with a grunt. She didn't want to spend the first Thursday of the school year getting Sun to vomit into a toilet. All she wanted to do was watch tv at home that evening. 

“Aw c’mon Blake.” He frowned, looking uncharacteristically sad. He’d been doing that more and more lately. “It won't be just us, if that's what's bothering you.”

“Of course not Sun. I'm just not as social as you.” She poked him on the nose, eliciting a mock cry of pain from the boy. 

“Who else is coming?” 

“Neptune, Coco, and that blond chick from the party. Seems like she wants to be friends with everyone!”

Blake swallowed, throat suddenly feeling tight and constricted. 

“I guess you two hit it off huh? She got your number from Neptune earlier. I know you don't always make friends super easy so that's awesome!” Sun smiled. 

“You didn't think there was anything off about her?” Blake ignored the fact that Yang apparently had her phone number now and would likely try to contact her. 

“Uh, not really? Unless you mean off as in, ‘boobs so massive it throws off her center of gravity’-”

“Sun!” She rolled her eyes with a huff.

“Forget it. It doesn't matter.”

“So… you still not coming tonight?”  
There were the puppy dog eyes again. 

“Ugh. Fine. Only if you pay for my drinks.” Blake caved. There were two conflicting parts of her that very much wanted to avoid Yang and very much wanted to see her again. 

“You won't regret it!” He flashed his boyish smile again. 

“Won't regret what monkey?” A gruff disgustingly cocky voice entered into their conversation. 

“Fuck off Cardin.” Blake said curtly. Before them was one of the schools most choice bullies, a grossly generic looking twat by the name of Cardin Winchester. The only thing that kept him from being expelled was his place on the sports team and his daddy’s connections. It was enough to make Blake want to puke all over his stupid face. 

“Ooh, kitten has claws!” He taunted, two members of his entourage cackling behind him. Her father always told her they were cowards in the truest sense, hiding behind racism in some pathetic attempt to make themselves feel better. It was a logical assessment, but it didn't make Blake feel any less awful. 

“Just ignore him Blake.” Sun grumbled. “Let's go somewhere else.”

“Knew you faunus were fuckin’ cowards.”  
Cardin spat back. Blake wished she could rip his tongue out of his mouth. 

“Hey, what part of fuck off didn't you understand?” Blake recognized that voice. 

Yang? The blond looked quite different from the party, black leather motorcycle jacket making her shoulders look broad and powerful as she stormed towards Cardin. 

“Another animal lover. Dumb bitch, this doesn't have anything to do with you.”

“Shut up. Take your small dick somewhere else before I rip it off.” She hissed, voice lacking any of that go lucky attitude from before. Anger and fury colored her features. 

“What's your problem!?” Cardin growled, veins popping out and face turning red. He walked over to Yang and shoved the girl roughly, though she didn’t budge an inch. Blake and Sun were far too dumbfounded to do anything. 

“My problem is your ugly fucking face. Why don't I give you twenty bucks so you can buy some makeup?” Blake was dumbfounded. Yang was absolutely incensed. Her lilac eyes burned and red flakes danced around in her irises. Blake pulled out her phone quietly and started videotaping the incident. 

“Might accentuate the caveman look you’re going for. 

“I'm gonna ruin you, cunt.” He punched her right in the face, drawing a bit of blood with the strike from her lip. She hardly seemed phased, licking the blood off her mouth with a vicious glare and a smile. 

“If you hit her again I’ll call the police. I got the whole thing on video Cardin.” Blake stood up suddenly with a growl. Sun gave her a surprised look, as did Yang. 

“You little!” He hissed, entourage holding him back from going after Blake. 

“It’s cool man, we’ll get back at them.” One of the scrawny looking idiots said. Blake was almost convinced Cardin’s head would burst if he got any angrier. 

“You're gonna regret this. Both of you.” His words were laced with wrath. 

“Sure thing tiny dick.” Yang shrugged, looking powerful and invincible, like a fly had landed on her. Cardin stormed off with his friends, growling epithets and curses all the way. 

“Jesus Yang, are you ok?” Sun hopped up and examined her lip, grimacing. “That's gonna leave a nasty bruise.”

“Aw it's fine. I've had butterflies hit me harder. I hate guys like that.” 

“... that was brave of you.” Blake said quietly. She'd been wishing for years for someone to talk to Cardin that way. It'd been a spectacular show. 

“Not really.” Yang shrugged. “He was messing with my new friends. Jackass.”

“His face got so red.” Sun snickered, everyone joining in a mirthful moment. 

“You coming tonight Blake?” The blond turned to her with the same bright, wide smile from the party. “My sis is visiting our dad so I thought it'd be a good night to go drinking.”

“Uh, y-yeah.” Blake stammered, trying not to blurt out ‘yeah I'm going, hey by the way are you a monster?’ She pulled out her phone and texted her parents that she'd be out late again. 

“Do you always stand up for faunus like that?” Blake asked in a more somber tone. Yang grimaced and ran a hand through her mess of hair. 

“No one deserves to be treated like that. Guys like him are probably better off dead.” 

“Seriously.” Sun huffed. His phone started vibrating in his pocket, an alarm he'd sent to remind him to get to class on time. 

“Ugh, school awaits.” He groaned, suddenly looking much more depressed. “You two still off this block?”

“Yep.” Yang chirped and Blake nodded. 

“Blugh.” 

Sun said his goodbyes and left the two girls alone, Yang taking his spot on the cool grass. 

“You asked for my number?” Blake asked, though she posed it as more of a statement. 

“Huh? O-oh yeah.” She was surprised to see the girl blushing, a cute shade of pink popping up on her cheeks. “Just uh, wanted to see you again. It's ok right?”

Blake found herself blushing this time. Yang’s blond hair looking gorgeous, with little beams of sunlight coming through the net of leaves above them, pulling out the gold like a spinner with thread. Those mysterious eyes looked like crystal and were full of curiosity and calm. Blake thought about how she wanted to see them turn red like rubies again. 

_Christ, what's wrong with me? Fuck._ She looked away. 

“Are you and Sun dating?”

Blake half wished she had something in her mouth to spit out because it would have been a truly glorious spit take. 

“W-What?” That was quite the question to just ask. 

Yang shrugged, a little embarrassed. “Just curious.” 

“We’re not.” Blake said quickly. “We’ve been friends for a while."

“Oh.” A somewhat awkward silence fell between the two. 

“Why don't you visit your dad with your sister?” Blake finally asked in an attempt to strike up conversation. 

“I'm not on super good terms with my dad. We had a big fight before I came out to Vale.” Yang spoke with the same cheery voice but Blake could see her eyes grow distant. 

“My sister moved out here with me for school and I decided, ‘well I guess I might as well too.’ I've been doing odd jobs up until now.”

“I'm really sorry to hear that Yang.” Blake considered touching her on the shoulder before deciding otherwise. She wish she hadn't asked. The lack of a mother in Yang’s story didn't inspire confidence on that front either. 

“It's not a big deal. I like living here.”  
She smiled at Blake. 

“Plus I got to meet you.” She said, punctuating the sentence with a wink.

“Do you flirt this way with everyone?” Blake smirked, feeling a bit less tense. 

“Only on Thursdays.” 

\-----

Blake discovered later that Yang’s motorcycle jacket wasn't just for show and that the stocky woman owned a black and yellow crotch rocket that she rode to the bar they were meeting at. Despite an offer from Yang, Blake decided to ride with Sun and Neptune in their car, having a slight fear of motorcycles and fiery metallic death. Coco would meet them there. 

The ride was uneventful and they had headed out as soon as Neptune's last evening class was over. She'd received a dictionary sized amount of messages from her father begging her to come home before midnight as well as the usual parental fear mongering. She assured them she'd be back by midnight as always. 

Junior’s bar was a surprisingly upscale college hangout, sporting a slick modern design and black linoleum floors that had been dutifully scrubbed free of alcohol and vomit. It was close to being classy, marred by a small group of shadier folk who frequented it on the weekdays in the late evening. Thursday night however, meant that the bar would be filled to the brim with college students and blue collar workers trying to unwind and relax. The group struggled to find a small table to relax at. 

Music pounded and lights flashed as Blake grabbed her free beer from Sun (Yang gave the two a curious look despite Blake’s assurance they weren't dating) and greedily downed the numbing liquid. Neptune and Sun were bitching about classes and Yang and Coco were talking about some new fancy clothing shop that was opening up, leaving Blake feeling somewhat left out. 

She didn't mind for the most part. Being quiet never bothered her much. Occasionally Sun would bring her back into the conversation with an anecdote before she fell out of the loop again. She appreciated the effort, but it was hardly necessary. 

“So Blake.” Blake nearly jumped out of her seat, having zoned out during the conversation. 

“You write, right?” It was Yang, wielding that stupid disarming smile and lovely voice. “What kinda stuff are we talking?”

“Oh, Blake writes some really flowery erotic- ow!” Coco silenced Sun with a brutal kick to the shins; not that Sun was wrong, but no one needed to know. 

“I do some freelance journalism and copy-writing for cash.” Blake began, watching as Yang played with the little umbrella in her tequila sugar bomb of a drink. “But I really like mystery and fantasy. That's usually what I write in my spare time.”

“That's awesome.” Yang beamed. Blake felt embarrassed, but she didn't get to talk about her writing a lot. She was glad Yang asked. 

“Yeah, this kitten’s gonna be famous someday.” Coco lowered her sunglasses (which she was wearing indoors for some fashion reason well beyond Blake). 

“Save me a spot on your yacht.” Yang flashed another perfectly time wink. 

“I'm gonna grab another drink. You guys want anything?” 

Yang left with a wad of cash and a list of orders, sauntering over to the counter. 

“She's something huh?” Neptune grinned, gaze focused on something slightly below eye level. It was his turn to get kicked by coco. 

“I guess so.” Blake sipped the last of her beer, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the second. The whole day seemingly, had been about and with Yang. She hated how much the girl could lower her defenses and how much she still didn't trust her after the events of the party. She hated how pretty she was and how she couldn't help but watch her just as much as Neptune was. 

“Hey, earth to Blake.” Coco snapped her fingers in front of Blake’s face. “I shouldn't have to kick you too y’know. Perv.”

A flush consumed her face and her eyes quickly went to focus on something else. Sun was giving her another funny look. 

The night continued without much of a hitch. Drinks emptied and refilled seemingly by magic and the group became increasingly rowdy as alcohol took hold. Even Blake felt tipsy, face feeling pleasantly fuzzy. The group had moved to the center of the bar where the music pulsed and vibrated the tables. Of course, Blake had planted herself on a nearby wall, watching and nursing the end of a bottle of beer. She was hardly first in line to make a fool of herself on the linoleum floor. 

“Hey, wanna dance?” It was Yang again. It was like she was everywhere, including Blake’s thoughts, where mysterious red eyes looked at her through a dark veil. 

“I'm not a good dancer.” A terrible excuse, Blake thought. She wanted to dance with Yang, but the back of her mind screamed at her, told her to stop lusting after a girl she'd just met. The feelings were unwelcome and unwanted. She hadn't forgotten about Adam yet. 

Somehow you're still controlling me, you bastard. Her brow furrowed. She was ashamed of herself. 

“I've had four shots of tequila. You think I'll be any good?” Yang edged a little closer to her and Blake could feel the heat coming off her skin. She'd discarded her jacket from earlier leaving just a yellow tank top behind. 

“Course, you don't have to if you don't want to.” The offer floated into Blake’s ears, tempting and ripe for the taking. 

Fuck it.

She grabbed Yang’s hand and squeezed it gently. 

“Alright. Let's see who can dance worse.” Blake pulled her partner out onto the dance floor, a flirty smirk on her face. 

“It’s a bet.” 

The dance floor was crowded and full of raging, sweaty drunks just having a good time, vision blurred and senses dulled and heightened all at the same time. Blake was shocked to be among their number, trying to move in a disorganized rhythm to the pounding four on the floor beat of the music. She'd all but lost track of Sun and the others in the mess. 

“I hate this song!” She laughed, trying to move around awkwardly to the beat. True to her word, Yang was moving around equally as embarrassingly, if not more considering her model like figure. Blake didn't understand how someone like her was even the slightest bit interested in someone like Blake; a boring, dark, bookish cat faunus. 

Yang didn't seem to care that she was a faunus at all. She'd never made any mention of it and had stood up against Cardin when he was harassing them. Guilt bubbled up in her heart for being so initially untrustworthy. 

“Pretty god awful!” Yang’s laugh was contagious and sweet. Blake could practically feel mirth pouring out of her. 

“Almost as bad as your dancing!”

Blake pulled her closer so she could reach her ear. She could barely hear anything over the blood rushing under her skin and pounding of her heart. Nervous. A little scared. She hadn't felt so excited in a while. “Can we go outside really quick?”

“What's wrong?” 

“Just come with me for a sec.”

It felt good outside the bar compared to the boozy heat inside. The breeze dried sweat off her brow but did little to cool of the heat building in her body. Muffled music leaked out through cracks in the walls and provided a backdrop to an otherwise quiet night. 

“What gives?” Blake pulled the blond along, smiling like a giddy high-schooler the whole way. They rounded the corner of the building giving way to a more secluded nook. 

“Hey,” Blake began, trying to ignore the taste of alcohol on her breath and the utter lack of prudence and class.

“Can I kiss you?” 

She'd scarcely finished her sentence when she felt Yang’s lips locking onto hers. Soft, perfect lips that tasted like tequila, strawberries, and bad decisions. Her hands sought out golden locks and wrapped around Yang’s head, pulling her closer as she forgot about everything else. 

Then Blake pulled away, eliciting a disappointed moan from Yang. 

“Is your- is your lip ok? From earlier.” She tried to catch her breath, wanting only to lose it again. 

“Huh? Oh, yeah it's fine,” The blond seemed equally breathless. Blake could feel her pulse quickening. 

“-but I’d really like to keep making out with you.” 

“Oh. Same.” 

She felt Yang press her up against the wall, gently, considering the hard concrete backdrop. Her chest threatened to burst and her skin felt hot and flushed. Every time their skin touched it felt like someone had shocked her with electricity. 

“I loved it when you told him off earlier.” Blake's hands slid down her ‘dance partner’s’ back, feeling each and every toned muscle the blond had. She was built like a mountain, strong and immovable. Her back moved in tandem with Blake’s touch, arching and falling to make as much contact with her hands as possible. 

“Fuck that guy. I'd like to see him rot in a ditch.” She stroked Blake's hair and placed a hand under her chin, locking eyes with her. 

“Hey, same here.” 

“We’ve got so much in common.”

She pressed her lips against Yang’s again, savoring the the sugar that hid in the little crests of her lips and the heat that raced from their kiss to the rest of her body. She'd craved such contact for so long, like she'd been deprived a drug. 

Yang pulled her closer again, Blake moaning and begging for more and more access, tongues gracing each other with feather like touches before their pulses quickened and the dance grew more intense. She felt Yang start to gently bite at her lip and it sent electricity running down her spine and straight into her fingertips like the perfect poison. Her teeth felt sharp and Blake could taste iron but her mind was so muddy she didn't care at all. It felt good and her body ached and begged her to keep going. The sensation was incredible. She wanted it more, even rougher than that. 

“You taste amazing.” Yang whispered into her ear, words dripping with lust and warmth. 

Moans escaped her throat on their own and her hands digging into Yang’s back and sliding down, grasping at the hem of her pants. She brought a hand back to the front, fussing with buttons on Yang’s jeans as she continued to kiss her. 

“Fuck…” Yang inhaled sharply as Blake’s fingers brushed against the opening of her pants. 

“I want you so bad.” The blond leaned into the crook of Blake’s neck and kissed her, down to her collarbone and coaxing even more moans from an already noisy Blake. Teeth scraped against her neck and her hips bucked forward into Yang’s, pain mixing with pleasure in a messy, drunken slurry. Her core felt like it was on fire and her throat went dry. Every touch felt amplified and perfect. 

And then Yang pushed her away, breathing heavily and looking down with a glimpse of red. 

“W-what’s wrong? Are you ok?” Blake found it hard to breathe. She felt panicked and scared. 

“Did I-”

“You're fine.” Yang said sweetly, kissing Blake on the forehead. She could feel the lower half of her body aching in protest. 

“But we’re drunk Blake. I can't-” Her eyes looked strange to Blake. Some weird combination of warm colors swirling and struggling to take form like a storm. 

“No, you're right.” Blake exhaled a counted breath, forcing herself to calm down with mixed results. She leaned up and kissed her again, gently caressing Yang’s lips, wanting just a bit more of that drug. 

“Blake? Are you out here? It's almost midnight, you want me to call you a-”

Sun rounded the corner and stopped so suddenly he almost fell face first onto the pavement.

“... taxi?”

\-----

Yang left the bar after Blake left to sober up and calm down. She walked her bike down the shoulder of the road, cars whizzing past her and puddles narrowly missing her. She was stupid sometimes, but not stupid enough to try to ride her motorcycle in her current state. 

It'd been awkward leaving the others at the bar. Sun had seemingly short circuited and Coco just seemed to know, walking up to Yang and whispering, ‘I wondered when our kitten was gonna get some pussy,’ before returning to console a baffled Sun. Neptune was simply confused. He didn't seem to have been blessed with a lot of brainpower to go with his good looks. 

Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she nearly threw the damn thing against the wall, still aroused and frustrated at the lack of release. 

Her teeth ground together and she accidentally reopened the cut on her lip that racist piece of shit had given her earlier in the day. Blood slipped into her mouth and made her crave Blake even more. She'd bit her lip; a mistake really, because the faunus had blood that tasted like a rich liquor that made Yang want to get drunk off of nothing else. Her lips had been so perfect and her skin was so beautiful and pale and the way her black hair curved around her Asian features was just- 

She pulled her bike up onto the sidewalk, walked over to the nearest brick wall and slammed her fist as hard as she could against it. A gross, fleshy snapping sound indicated she'd broken her index and possibly her middle finger and her skin flayed against the rough surface. She breathed heavily, trying to focus on the pain and not the fucking hunger that threatened to turn her into a mindless monster. 

“Hey, are you ok?” A stranger in the wrong place at the wrong time walked up to her. She rubbed her temples with her good hand and smiled at them. 

“No, actually, can you come here a sec?” Red eyes blinked and drew them in. 

\-----

_Jesus Christ, what the hell is she!?_

Cardin held his pistol close to her chest as she watched Yang and some random schmuck go into an alleyway off the main road. It was dark and late, the black sky hungrily sucking up any light from the city. He shouldn’t have followed them in. He really, really shouldn't have. She grabbed the stranger and bit into their neck, stray beams of light bouncing off a slick red liquid dripping, dripping, down onto the concrete earth. He couldn't look away. 

“Let him go!” Cardin cried, pointing his 9mm at Yang. She placed the stranger’s body down gently onto the ground, eyes burning and glowing a bright red like fire. It sent a shiver down his spine. The unfortunate bystander’s chest rose and fell slowly, indicating that they were still alive at the very least. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” She growled, voice low and full of wrath and anger. He’d followed her after she and her stupid friends had left for Junior’s with the intention of roughing her up a bit; a few broken bones here and there, maybe tear up that pretty face a little. He was so tired of animal lovers like her making him look like a fool. He was better than them; better than all of them, and now he'd be a hero for killing a monster. 

“Did you fucking follow me?” Yang walked towards him. Her fist was bleeding and mangled. The air smelt of heavy metals and ash. It felt like some horrible miasma was spewing off of her, making it hard for him to breathe. His chest constricted and tightened. Something was wrong with his vision; he felt drunk. 

Cardin stomped and growled, shaking his head furiously to try and break free of whatever weird hold she had on him. He looked away from her eyes, those horrible, red fires, and stared at her feet, keeping an eye on where she was. 

“Yeah, I did.” He tried to stay calm. He had a gun after all. He was in control. “Found out that you were an animal lover and a fag. Should have known something was weird about you!”

“You do not wanna mess with me Cardin.” He watched her stalk towards him, each step landing almost completely silently, despite the apparent hardness of her boots. 

He pulled back the hammer on his gun, the metallic click seeming impossibly loud in the alleyway. 

“Don't come any closer!” 

“You're making a big mistake.” Yang held up her hands like a criminal being held by the police. 

“Just let me go and we forget this happened ok?”

He swallowed, finger feeling tight on the trigger. He'd kill her. “Not a chance bitch.”

Something landed behind him and grabbed him, a black leather glove pressing tightly against his mouth. He screamed and fired a wild shot from his gun before the thing behind him wrenched it from him. Yang cried out in pain and he screamed and screamed into the glove as they pulled back his jacket and pressed something sharp and cold into his neck. His skin felt like it was being deflated and it hurt so bad. His cries grew weaker as his strength left him, stolen by the monster slowly killing him. 

He flailed but couldn't gain any traction against their grip and blood continued to leave his neck and his vision blurred and blurred and faded and grew dark and-

\-----

“Stop it, you’re going to kill him!” Yang cried, hissing and biting her teeth as she held her good hand over the bullet lodged in her leg. She could do nothing but watch in horror as Cardin was sucked dry by some masked assailant with a pair of red eyes all too similar to her own. 

“Please stop!” If they heard her, they ignored her. Cardin shriveled up and his eyes looked like they would pop out of his skull. She wanted to throw up. This wasn't right. He was a fucking waste of skin but no one deserved this. His body slumped unceremoniously onto the ground as the masked figure dropped him, red eyes now trained firmly on Yang. 

“Who are you?” She asked, feeling acid and fear at the back of her throat. The figure simply stared at her, eyes blank of emotion and clues. Eventually they crouched down and grabbed Cardin’s body, slinging it over their shoulder. They passed Yang without a word as she fought through her injury, incapable of standing up and fighting. They disappeared into the far end of the alleyway, footsteps silent and ghastly like a vampire’s always were. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Yang had to leave soon. The gunshot would attract the cops or worse. She forced herself to stand, leaning heavily on her good left leg and moved over to the stranger still passed out on the ground. Using all her strength, she propped him up against the wall and tore off a piece of their shirt to place on their neck. The bite mark would linger, but it would heal. Most people in the safety of the city didn't believe things like her even existed. They would write it off as a weird bug bite, a freak accident. They wouldn't even remember running into Yang. 

She hobbled back to her motorcycle which was still on the sidewalk and mounted it, determined to get back to her apartment as quickly as possible. It hurt, trying to pull the throttle with her hands and change the gears with her feet, but she had little choice. At the very least, Ruby wasn't home, meaning she'd be able to try and pry the bullet out of her leg in peace. The faster she got it out, the faster she would start healing.

Her powers weren't as pronounced as a full blooded vampire’s. It would take her longer to heal. She felt dreadful and weak. Her thoughts were racing in no particularly useful way as she climbed the stairs to her apartment, slamming the door open and limping into the bathroom. She craved more blood to replace what she'd lost. 

Greedy vampires killed people all the time. People went missing all the time, but to see it happen right in front of her? Vampires usually stayed far, far away from her, holding a well spoken hatred against her kind. Half breed. Mistake. The only one she could trust was Qrow and he was hardly around to help her, especially not now, when she needed him. She had to let him know what happened: she couldn't risk being implicated in one of the disappearances. The text flew from her fingers as fast as she could type with one hand. 

_Hurt_  
Need help  
Dead guy  


“Shit.” She groaned as she pried the bullet out of her leg with two knives, flesh reeling against the foreign metal. It hurt like a bitch. Like someone had taken all the tequila she'd had that night and poured it into her eyes with some glass shards as a chaser. Her first aid job was bad, but it would do. She slumped down into her bed and tried to sleep. Nightmares prevented any rest. 

\-----

“Victim is male, 6’ 3”. Name’s Cardin Winchester. He was a sophomore here until a few hours ago it seems. We’re putting a tentative time of death somewhere between midnight and three am when the poor kids found him. He was last seen at seven, when he told his friends he was going to a bar to have a few drinks. We’re looking into known enemies and any possible motives now. Campus has been closed for the rest of the week.”

Weiss wanted to hold her nose to keep the smell from penetrating her senses. It was putrid and vile and smelled like shit, but she didn't want to look weak in front of her sister. This was the first paranormal case she had been allowed to work on and she was not going to screw it up. She had to look proper and unshakable. 

Her sister Winter spoke with the detective on sight, Ghira Belladonna, the father of the faunus girl she'd met the other night at Neptune’s party in some freak coincidence. Despite his size and apparent strength, he looked just as pale and sickened as Weiss did. Winter of course, was perfect as always, not bothered at all by the dismembered corpse on the lawn. 

‘Cardin’, was in pieces. Six pieces to be exact. Torso, legs, arms, and his head. Weiss imagined he'd looked much more handsome when he still had all the blood running through his veins. His grey and blue dead eyes popped out of his skull, visible against tightly pulled and pallid skin. Flies danced around the dried vitreous humor and up his nose. His limbs had been torn off messily, the cuts being far, far from clean. Viscera was strewn about the quad in a haphazard pattern, except for a clear message painted in blood on the nearby science building. 

“REVENGE FOR FAUNUS  
REVENGE AGAINST HUMANITY”

It was a clear lie as far as Weiss and Winter were concerned. Her older sister wouldn't have called them to investigate if it had been some normal murder. 

“There's a lot of blood on the scene.” Winter began, crouching down to examine his body with the snap of white latex gloves. 

“I want an analysis from the lab asap. Operate under the assumption it's not the victim’s blood.”

“Not his blood? Have you seen the body?” Ghira huffed. He hadn't been happy when Weiss and her sister arrived on the scene. 

“Detective Belladonna, your chief brought me here to help you because of my expertise and experience. This isn't your case anymore.” She glanced over at Weiss, two pairs of icy blue eyes locking together. “Weiss? Care to explain?”

“Of course Winter.” She smiled proudly. Now was her time to prove herself. 

“Our killers’, and I mean the possibility of multiple perpetrators when I say this, M.O often goes as such; the body is dismembered or mutilated to obscure the cause and time of death, and blood is brought from a foreign source, often some type of animal blood, to obscure the murder weapon and the location of the murder itself. 

“Upon further, more detailed examination, you will likely find two to four perforations in the late Mr. Winchester’s jugular vein. All of our victims have had similar markings. It is from these perforations that the victim is initially drained of blood. Death likely occurred in two to five minutes. 

“Thank you Weiss. Good work.” She beamed at her sister’s praise. 

“I did not come here to have a child lecture me Ms. Schnee.” Weiss couldn't help but feel misplaced pride at the detective’s reaction. 

“I assure you once again detective, my sister and I are experts in what we’re doing. We will have our murderer, and with it, the answer to your missing persons epidemic.”

The forensics team continued to take pictures and gather evidence, none of them wanting to be involved in the animosity between Winter and Ghira. Weiss continued to look the body over, though wasn't likely to find much more until forensics came back with a more detailed analysis. 

A police officer handed Winter a list of names, people Cardin had interacted with the day before. Blue eyes scanned the list with speed and precision. 

“What was that girl's name from the party you went to Weiss?”

She turned her head to face her sister, surprised at the specificity of the question. 

“The one you had a weird feeling about.” 

“Yang Xiao Long.” Weiss said. She remembered quite well the girl’s curious reaction when Blake Belladonna cut herself that night. It set off several warning signs in her mind she had been trained to watch for. 

“I want her at the station in three hours.” Winter handed the paper back to the officer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I nabbed the title from a circa survive song
> 
> Anyways as stated before comment if you feel like it and updates are Monday and Friday! 
> 
> o:


	3. Dig your Grave

Suddenly Blake remembered what a hangover felt like. 

“Ugh.” When she'd gotten the text on her phone several hours earlier that campus would be closed for some reason, she wondered how much of her good karma had been cashed in to save her the agony of going to class with a pulsing headache and an inability to be cheerful. She finally managed to roll out of bed several hours later and finished off the glass of water she'd poured for herself the night before. The smell of sweet, delicious, and much needed coffee floated up the stairs, threatening to pull her from her stupor. 

“Blake are you awake yet?” Her father’s voice, lacking any of his usual gentleness. 

She appeared at the top of the stairs, observing a very concerned looking mother and father at the base. 

“Is something wrong?” Blake asked, rubbing at her bloodshot eyes. 

“You need to come with me to the police station today.” 

“What? Why?”

It wasn't bring your daughter to work day, that was for sure. 

“Pour yourself a cup of coffee. I'll explain on the way over.” He looked absolutely exhausted. Dark circles rested under his eyes, eyes that were somehow just as bloodshot as Blake’s. 

“Do you want cream and sugar Blake? I know you like it black but you look a little worse for wear.” Her mother asked, getting a travel mug out of their kitchen cabinets. 

“Mom it's not anything serious is it?” 

“He won't tell me anything. He said it was about a case. I'm sure it'll be ok though.”

Her mother gave her and her father a hug as they got into his car, both of them nursing massive cups of coffee. 

She felt nervous the whole way over, anxiety making her pounding headache even worse. 

“They’re going to ask you some questions when we get inside.” Her father looked at her with brow furrowed, eyes sad and fearful. 

“What are you talking about?” Blake couldn't help but grow increasingly concerned. 

“Just tell them the truth and everything will be fine. I can't go in with you.” He kissed her forehead and stroked her hair lovingly. 

“I love you ok? You'll be fine.” 

His words did little to calm her nerves as he brought her inside the station. It smelled like bad, cheap coffee and sweaty overworked officers. The whole place was alive with activity, police swapping papers and running around like madmen. 

He took her down a crowded hallway lined with police medals and and photos where she saw Sun waiting, tail curled up several times in fear. 

“Blake, do you know what's going on?” He asked, eyes widening as soon as he saw his friend. 

“I don't know.” She responded simply with a frown. Her father put a hand on her shoulder. 

“I have to go now; remember, tell the truth.” He left, shoulders slumped and looking defeated. She and Sun shared a worried look. Blake sat down on an uncomfortable plastic chair next to him and offered him a sip of coffee which he gladly accepted. 

“I think this is the interrogation room.” Sun said with a shiver. “They have Yang in there right now. She looked really awful when I saw her earlier. Limping and everything.”

“Excuse me?” Blake nearly choked on her coffee. What the fuck was the girl she'd nearly had drunken, spontaneous sex with the night before doing here?

“Uh, what were you guys doing last night by the way?” He asked sheepishly. 

“Nothing that warranted being brought to the police station!” Her face turned bright red. In her exhaustion she'd completely forgotten about him walking in on the two kissing last night. 

“Seriously Sun, it was nothing. Let's just focus on getting out of here as soon as possible.”

He shrugged, disappointed with her half truth. The voices behind the door started to grow in intensity. 

\-----

“Would you like to tell us again where you got your injuries Ms. Xiao Long?” 

“I told you, I was walking home and some jackass swiped me with his car. I fell and me and my bike got scratched up.”

“And what were you doing before that?” 

“I was at a bar.” 

“When did you leave?” 

“A bit before midnight.” 

“And then you got hit by a car and walked home?”

“Yeah. It sounds silly when you say it.”

Yang wanted nothing more than to rip the moustache off the husky old cop interrogating her. She also wanted to punch the incredibly pale woman standing in the corner, who was rapidly typing out notes and scouring over documents. The frigid looking woman hadn't said a word the entire time. 

“Because it is silly.” His moustache wiggled. “Why didn't you go to the hospital?”

“I didn't get hurt that bad.” Yang joked, thankful her strange nature as a daywalker allowed her to fudge the polygraph they had strapped to her finger and had saved her ass more than once in the past. The older man snorted and jotted something incomprehensible down on a notepad. 

“Ms. Xiao Long.” The woman in the corner finally spoke, startling both Yang and the detective interrogating her. 

“Were you aware that Cardin Winchester was murdered last night?” 

“That douchebag from school is… dead?”  
She faked as best she could. 

“Scum bag but, Jesus, he didn't deserve to die.”

“Hm.” Ice lady hummed softly. 

“Your friends are outside. Can they account for your whereabouts last night?”

Yang frowned. Did she mean Blake and Sun? She didn't want them wrapped up in this. All of a sudden she was starting to regret having picked a fight with Cardin. 

“Yeah. I was with them all night and with-” She coughed and looked down, trying to hide a blush on her cheeks. Polygraph or not, it was hard to hide. 

“I was outside with Blake for a while. Then I went home.” She had to tell truth, especially if they planned on asking Blake and Sun the same questions. Mismatching stories made for incriminating evidence. 

“Hm.” Yang was overwhelmed by the woman’s pretentiousness. 

“And it's true you fought with Mr. Winchester?” 

“If by fight you mean he fucking punched me, sure. Blake’s got the whole thing on tape.” 

“Hm.” 

Yang crunched her teeth. “Can you stop doing that?”

“Is your uncle named Qrow Branwen?”

Yang’s good fist clenched and nearly slammed on the table. She cursed herself for letting her emotions get the better of her. 

“What's he got to do with this?” She asked an honest question. 

“Detective Port and I have no further questions right now. You can go.”

Yang bolted for the door the second they pulled the polygraph. She did her best not to slam the door behind her. All she wanted to do was sleep and watch a movie with Ruby when she got back later in the day. They had no proof; they couldn't link her to Cardin’s murder. 

_It'll blow over Yang. Like always._ She struggled to sound self assured in her own head. 

“Yang?” There was that pretty voice. 

“Oh. Hi Blake. Sun.”

\-----

They didn't give Blake anytime to speak with Yang when she came out. A stark, Regal looking woman asked her to come inside almost immediately. The three exchanged worries glances and darting eyes as she entered the room. It was cold and dimly lit. She wondered if her father would be on the other side of the two way glass. The thought of not knowing who was watching her gave her anxiety of the first degree. 

_As if getting interrogated wasn't bad enough._ Her hangover made her skull pound. 

“Ms. Belladonna, it's been a while.” Detective Port sat back in his seat, twirling his grey, fuzzy moustache that had always reminded Blake of a caterpillar. 

“Due to proper procedure, Ms. Schnee here will be handling things today.” He rose from his seat and passed it off to the gorgeous white haired woman who had opened the door. 

“It's good to see you Blake.” He gave a slight wave before moving to the corner. 

“I just have a few questions today Ms. Belladonna.” She set a stack of papers straight on the table and looked at Blake intently. An officer she wasn't familiar with hooked her up to a polygraph. 

“What is all of this?” Blake asked, pulse quickening. She wanted to rip the equipment off her finger. It felt stifling and all too similar to a chain. She hadn't done anything wrong. 

“We will get to that.” The woman said curtly, folding her hands and legs in an almost rehearsed manner. 

“You have a cut on your lip. It's bruised slightly; would you like some ice?” The offer caught her off guard. She'd almost forgotten about how Yang had bit her lip last night and- 

“I-it's fine, thank you.” She shuffled awkwardly in her seat. 

“Hm.” 

_Oh I don't like that._ Blake felt like a complete fish out of water. She'd been to the station plenty of times as a child with her father, even knowing Port and several other detectives by name. Now though, she felt like a prisoner. 

“Is it true Cardin Winchester would frequently bully you and other faunus on campus?”

“Is that what this is about? Of course he did, everyone hated him.” Blake jumped at the opportunity to spit on Cardin. 

“That's why I filmed him bothering me and my friends yesterday. Is he in trouble? I have proof.” 

They'd taken her phone at the entrance. She was suddenly feeling very eager to get it back. 

“Cardin Winchester is dead, Ms. Belladonna.” It felt surreal how easily the woman said it, with no hint of emotion or surprise in her voice. The words seemed to take forever to reach Blake’s ears, like she was in a dream and some fictional creature had just told her she could fly. 

“... you’re joking right?” She laughed slightly, disbelief and a firm desire to leave strangling her chest. 

“Unfortunately no. He was found dead in the early morning on campus.”

Blake opened her mouth several times to say something, unable to muster the words she needed or wanted. What was she even supposed to say?

“Can you account for Yang Xiao Long’s whereabouts last night?” 

_Oh I really don't like that._

“What? Are you trying to say Yang killed-”

“We’re not saying anything right now, but we need a full picture of what occurred last night. You'll be free to go as soon as we’re finished here.”

Blake couldn't help but fidget with her fingers. Apparently the girl she'd almost drunkenly slept with last night was now a murder suspect. The potential murderer of a grade A piece of shit, but a murderer nonetheless.

 _I'm never going drinking again._

“We went to a bar after school.” Blake began. “I was with her pretty much the whole night.” 

“She said there was a period of time where the two of you were alone.” The woman kept an eye on the polygraph. 

“We were just talking!” Blake said a little too quickly. The needle on the polygraph jittered violently. Both Port and Schnee gave her a weird look. 

“Would you like to try that one more time?”

“... we were engaging in _consensual_ activities.” Blake said a little too quietly. Port snorted loudly and Schnee responded with yet another condescending ‘Hm’. 

“How long have you known Ms. Xiao Long?”

“About a week, I guess?” Blake wanted to dig a hole in the earth and never, ever come out of it. If her dad found about this she'd never live it down. 

“Were you aware of her criminal record?”

Blake swallowed, battling against nerves and anxiety that refused to back down. She felt her fingers grow sweaty and cold as the conversation continued. 

“... no.”

The woman flipped through a folder on the table, Yang’s mugshot appearing several times through the hard, stocky pages. Why were they showing this to her? Were they trying to warn her or something? 

“Several accounts of aggravated assault. Theft. Drugs. Gambling. Failing to cooperate with police. It's a miracle they let her into the academy at Vale with her record. 

“Shit…” Blake scanned the pages from a distance. They didn't look fabricated. 

“One last question for today Ms. Belladonna. I know this must be difficult for you.” The ice cold woman seemed sympathetic for a brief moment. 

“Did anything about Xiao Long appear… off to you?”

A strange question, but one Blake had found herself asking the past week. She looked at the polygraph, heart and mind conflicted about what she should say. 

“Yes.” She finally responded with a sigh. The woman hummed once again before nodding at the officer in the corner to free Blake from the polygraph. Her gait was defeated and weak as she headed to the door. She was such a fool. How could she have fallen for someone that was just like _him?_ A criminal. A murderer. 

“Ms. Belladonna,” the woman called from behind. “I assure you we will find the murderer in this case. I'm very sorry that you were involved in this. Can you send Mr. Wukong in?”

Blake shrugged, unable to formulate a coherent response. She walked through the door silently, meeting Sun and Yang again in the other side. 

Sun already knew the drill. He patted Blake on the shoulder before taking his turn in the interrogation room. Yang waved sheepishly at her, receiving a glare from Blake in return. She was surprised Yang had the audacity to be waiting right outside the door. 

“You want to tell me what the fuck is going on?” She hissed, brow furrowed and eyes narrowed. 

Yang stared at the tiles. “... I didn’t do anything.”

“It sure seems that way according to them.”

“I'm telling the truth!” Yang growled, standing up from the chair she was sitting on. She winced and grabbed her leg as she did so, anger bleeding through her expression. 

“What the hell happened to you last night?” Blake asked, finally giving the blond a good look. Her leg was clearly injured, though she couldn't see the wound directly under her jeans. A stain, probably blood, was seeping through her pants where she'd grabbed her leg. Her fist was damaged too, bandaged wrapped around her knuckles and a makeshift splint set on her index finger. 

“... please, just tell me the truth.” 

Yang looked her right in the eyes, lavender meeting amber. There were pronounced bags under her eyes and water pooling at the bases. 

“Blake, I didn't kill him. You have to believe me.” 

Blake frowned. She didn't have anything else to say. 

“Can you tell Sun I went home when he comes out? I really don't want to be here right now.”

“Yeah.”

Blake walked away, feeling sad and ashamed. 

\-----

Weiss was glad when she was finally able to rejoin her sister at the station. The older woman had just finished interrogating the students that had met with Cardin the day before and Weiss was eager to see if they had learned anything new. 

“Hello Weiss.” The two shared a quick, proper hug before sitting down in Winter’s temporary office. 

“Let's get down to business then.” Weiss smiled. Her sister was the picture of perfection. 

“I don't think Xiao Long is our killer.” Winter began, sipping black coffee from a porcelain mug. 

“You don't?” Weiss trusted her sister, but wanted to know her reasoning. The girl had no alibi for the time of Cardin’s death and the coroner had reported back the telltale signs of a vampire attack, not that the regular police were privy to that information. 

“She's been living here for five years, alone, before her sister moved in with her this year. She's been arrested for practically everything except being a blood sucker.” She hummed in that thoughtful way she always did when she was thinking. 

“If she's been smart enough to not leave a trail up until this point, why make such sloppy mistakes last night?”

“Perhaps it wasn't planned. Maybe they got into an altercation. She is injured. It could have been a spontaneous murder where he fought back.” Weiss suggested. 

“Hm.”

Weiss frowned. The two of them were convinced that Yang was a vampire, but they'd yet to find concrete proof.

“There's a gun missing from Winchester’s belongings that was found at a separate crime scene last night. Ballistics shows it was fired once.” Winter continued. 

“They're doing an analysis of the blood found there now. I believe Xiao Long’s blood will be found.”

“Why?” Weiss couldn't help but feel somewhat sad. Winter hadn't told her this new evidence yet. 

“An unconscious man woke up and reported the scene. He has bite marks on his neck consistent with our blood suckers. Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t remember anything.” Winter hummed. 

“You think Xiao Long targeted him and then Cardin arrived?”

“It seems to be a likely story. Shockingly, Xiao Long might be another victim here. Winchester’s wrap sheet was well hidden by his parents, but he had an even more concerning past of violent crime. It's logical to assume he wanted payback for making him look like a fool earlier in the day.”

“It does seem logical.” Weiss echoed her sister’s words, though she wasn't as convinced of Yang’s innocence. 

“I've put Belladonna under observation. I believe she may have been Xiao Long’s next mark. I doubt it will be a problem after last night, but it doesn't hurt to be safe.”

Weiss nodded. It was common for vampires to seduce humans. For what reason, she didn't know; perhaps monsters got lonely too, as unlikely as it seemed. She’d always been taught to view them as monsters, and nothing more. The Schnee’s were a long line of illustrious hunters and slayers of dark creatures, though her father had chosen to forgo protecting humanity in place of becoming wealthy and powerful. It sickened her. Leaving with Winter was one of the best decisions she’d ever made. 

“I have another task for you as well.” Winter handed her a folder. “Her sister, Ruby Rose; I’d like you to get to know her.”

Weiss tilted her head. “If Xiao Long’s not the killer, why do you want me to investigate her sister?”

“Myself and Ironwood believe Vale to be home to one of the largest and most organized covens of vampires in the world. If Xiao Long is indeed a vampire, she may lead us to them. This is bigger than a simple murder case Weiss. The more ties we have to her and the more evidence we gather, the closer we will be to finding our goal. Are you up to the task?”

Weiss puffed out her chest proudly. “Of course.”

\-----

Blake felt sick the whole way home. She opted to walk back, her father having to stay at the station to continue working, unable to give her a ride. Her phone buzzed in her pocket constantly, but she ignored it. She followed the docks as she walked, staring at her reflection in the muddy ocean water. 

_What the hell is wrong with me?_ Her fingers touched the small cut where she'd been bitten the night before. Yang had seemed kind and strong, not prejudiced, and willing to stand up for her. Could she really have murdered Cardin? It seemed impossible. 

“Blake?”

She turned her head to meet the small, boyish girl she had met at the party. Her voice was chipper and high pitched as it had been before. 

“It's me Ruby! Uh, it's cool if you don't remember me.” She scratched the back of her head nervously. The girl was wearing the same red sweater from the party and her silver eyes beamed with the same curiosity and joy. Her messy black and red hair poked out in cute places. 

“Of course I remember you. It's good to see you.” It actually wasn't very good to see the sister of of a potential murderer, but Blake tried to put on a happy face anyways. Ruby grinned wildly, before furrowing her eyebrow a bit.

“... did my sister do that?” She pointed to her lip.

“Huh?” Blake touched her lip once again, feeling her face grow hot. Was everyone going to interrogate her on her exploits with Yang? “Oh- uh… how-”

“She said she liked you.” Ruby chuckled “She’s really into uh, oh geez, um… _biting_?”  
The younger girl couldn’t hide a blush either. “B-but I’m glad you’re getting along!”

Blake rubbed her temples. All of this crap was happening because of a few bad decisions. “Sort of. Did you see her last night?” 

“I just got back from my dad’s place. I thought she was hanging out with you guys?”

“She was. Just curious.” 

“Oh.” Ruby shuffled in place. Blake couldn’t help but wonder how much Ruby knew about her sister. Did she know about her rap sheet? Did she know they were at the police station earlier? She didn’t seem to, but perhaps there was something more sinister hiding under that innocent appearance. 

“Did she do something weird to you Blake?” Ruby asked sadly, averting her shining silver eyes. “Yang is…”

“Weird?” Blake responded, her thoughts drifting to Yang’s strange eyes. “In what way?” 

“It’s just, sometimes when she likes someone she does some stupid stuff. I wanna be able to look out for her but she doesn’t always tell me things.” She tucked her hands into her sweater, looking sheepish and even smaller than normal.

“It’s fine Ruby. Nothing happened.” Blake smiled a little white lie. She wanted to know what exactly Ruby meant by ‘weird’. She wanted to know everything. 

“I’ve gotta get running but I’ll see you at school?” Blake starting walking again. “Good to see you Ruby.”

“Oh- yeah let’s hang out sometime Blake!”

Ruby went the other way, cheerfully humming a bright and sunny tune. Blake eventually returned home in silence, a note on the door indicating that her mother wasn’t home. She trucked back up the stairs, exhausted and completely spent, despite the fact that it was only around one in the afternoon. As she passed her father’s office, she paused. 

A thought crossed her mind to break in and see if he had any files on the case. Blake wanted to know what had really happened; she _needed_ to know what happened. She wanted to prove to herself that she hadn’t gotten involved with a murderer again; someone that could hurt her in the worst of ways. Unconsciously, she started rubbing her shoulder, remembering the all too frequent feeling of a bruise there and a slew of insincere apologies from the one who caused them. 

“Sorry dad.” She took a deep breath and continued to her room, grabbing a set of tools that were hidden underneath her bed; a gift from her days with that abusive fuck. Blake quickly returned to the door and opened the lock without much trouble. On her dad’s desk was a mess of papers, from current cases to old cases. 

Her nerves spiked, even though she knew no one was home. If her father found out that she had broken into his office, she would never hear the end of it. 

She stepped over to the desk quietly and nearly vomited when she saw the photos. Blake ran back out of the room and to the bathroom just in case, acid threatening the back of her throat. Cardin had been in _pieces_ ; an absolute horrible mess, like something out of a horror story. When she was finally certain she wouldn’t throw up, she returned to the room and shoved the pictures of his corpse off to the side. She tried to find a textual representation of the events and was rewarded with the initial findings of the case. 

_They know a lot for something that happened last night._ She tried to memorize the details and take pictures on her phone; she would have to return everything to its rightful place afterward anyways. When she was satisfied with what she found, she put everything back and scurried back to her room. 

Dismembered on campus. A message written in blood. A beautiful girl with no alibi. 

_Were you telling me the truth?_ She flopped down on her bed and grabbed the pillow tightly as though it would make her worries disappear. 

_I’ll find out. One way or another. I will not be used again._

\-----

“Yang, Uncle Qrow is here!”

“Hey firecracker.”

Yang was greeted with a barrage of smiles and hugs when she opened the door, Ruby nearly tackling her and throwing her off balance. She hadn't told her sister yet about her bad leg. 

“Aw, ya miss me Rubes?” Yang pulled her sister into a faux headlock and ruffled her hair. 

“Of course! Dad and Zwei say hi.” Ruby grinned before running back to the other person in the foyer. Their Uncle was a gruff looking man. He had a perpetual scruff that never seemed to go away, a messy mop of black hair, and a flask that he was never seen without. It looked like he and Ruby had been playing a game while they waited for Yang, ‘Ultimate Street Battle Fighter Tournament 4: The Saga’. The title was a mouthful but Ruby insisted on saying the full name every damn time they talked about it. 

“Hey Qrow.” Yang said, grabbing a seat behind the two, uncle and sister continuing their game. The two had always gotten along effortlessly, more so than he ever did with Yang. She didn’t blame him for that; she probably reminded him too much of his own sister. 

“Watch me beat your little sister.” He chuckled, as narrowing as they passed the character select screen. She smiled at the two, though part of her wondered why Qrow had responded to her text so quickly. It was both comforting and a little distressing, but Yang tried to push the anxiety away. 

“Not today Qrow!”

They spent a mirthful evening together, eating popcorn, playing games and watching movies. It brought Yang back to her childhood, to warm summer nights and snowy winters. To the loving embrace of Summer Rose. Qrow even managed to not get stone cold fucking plastered around Ruby, which Yang appreciated, though she was sure it wouldn't be long for him once the two girls went to sleep. The sun set and their uncle let out a sigh of relief, the man happy to be able to step outside without fear of being weakened by the sun. Full blooded vampires like him thrived in the darkness. Literally.

“Me and your sis are gonna go talk for a bit.” He told Ruby, the younger girl frowning. Yang gave a matching expression. 

“I'm not a kid anymore.” She said sadly. “Why don't you let me know anything?”

Yang bit her lip and looked away. She didn't want to keep things from Ruby, who really did have a right to know what was going on. A murder investigation however, was probably best left in the dark. Ruby had her own hardships and troubles to deal with. Burdening her with anything further would be selfish. 

“We’ll be right back.” Yang stood up and rubbed Ruby’s shoulder. “I promise.”

“Ok, but you promised.” Ruby huffed, marching over to the kitchen to make more popcorn. 

Yang and Qrow headed outside, wordlessly, the gruff man unscrewing the top of his flask and taking a lengthy sip. It was cold outside, with winter approaching swiftly, frost resting on the tip of the wind. Luckily for Yang, the cold never seemed to bother her much. 

“Alright kiddo,” Qrow began, coughing vigorously after another swig of… something. Probably not tequila, judging by the smell. He wasn’t particularly discerning about his liquor choice, as long as it got him drunk. Yang prayed that she wouldn’t end up like him, especially after her bad year. 

“This about that Cardin kid? Everyone’s in a bit of a tizzy over it.” 

“Yeah.” Yang hated it when he talked about the ‘others’. She’d heard of them only in passing, despite the fact that she knew there were dozens of vampires in Vale. Half breeds were forbidden and harsh judgement awaited those who created them; like her mother. Qrow was allowed to see her at the very least, which she was forever grateful for. She didn’t know what she’d do without him. 

“The police think I killed him.”

“I know you’d never kill anyone Yang. I don't need the details.” Qrow rested a rough hand on her shoulder. His smile was small and rough around the edges, but genuine. “The coven thinks an unaccounted for vampire did it. That could imply you, or someone else. Unfortunately for us we don't know who or mystery killer is.”

“Well that’s great.” Yang rolled her eyes and stuffed her hands into her pockets. She wished she could disappear into them too. “What am I supposed to do? I'm innocent.”

“We can try and clear your name. Find out who really did it.” Qrow shrugged, slugging back more alcohol. “I got a bit of a problem with the police I need to take care of as well. You meet with ice queen? I heard she’d come crawling into town.”

“Schnee? Stone _cold_ ice queen.” Yang laughed. She didn't really want to know how Qrow knew of that woman, only that he knew what they were up against. Schnee had been intimidating, beautiful, and frighteningly intelligent. A scary combination for sure. 

“She hunts vampires.” Qrow said fiddling with the lid on his flask. Yang swallowed. They knew then, didn’t they? That she was a monster. 

“You really think we can fix this?” Yang asked, looking back towards her apartment where her precious little sister remained inside. The sooner all of this was over, the better it would be for Ruby. They'd just started living together after all; she didn't want to give her dad any excuse to take Ruby away. “How the hell are we gonna clear my name? Especially with a hunter-”

“ _You_ aren't going to do anything.” Qrow poked her roughly in the shoulder. “You're gonna lay low. You're gonna be so good and quiet everyone’s gonna forget you were even involved in this. You’re gonna be such an unattractive target for Schnee and the coven that they forget you exist.” 

“You want me to just sit around?” Yang growled. She wasn't about to sit by and do nothing, not when her life was being put in jeopardy. 

“Yeah, that's right.” Qrow got that stern, angry face he got whenever he was scolding her. “They already don't like you. Don't give them an excuse to finally make you disappear. In fact, I don't even want you to feed for a few weeks. They’ve eyes everywhere.”

“What?” He didn't want her to eat? She'd go absolutely insane. Literally. 

“I know you've got a ‘no family policy’ Yang, but-”

Her eyes flashed red and her blood felt hot. She clenched her fists and stared her uncle down. “If you're even _suggesting_ Ruby-”

“She's your sister Yang, you think she wants you to go to prison? Or worse?” He shot back, not intimidated by his furious niece. “A few weeks. Enough time for me to clear your name. Besides, you know her blood is special, it’ll keep you-”

“Go away!” Yang screamed, anger reaching a fever pitch. “I'm not _touching_ Ruby.”

“Then you better figure something out.” He took a hefty swig out of his flask before heading back inside. She wanted to knock the stupid steel container out of his hands. “I don't like it either Yang, but it's the safest option for you.” 

She took deep, counted breaths to try and calm herself down. Maybe a stroll in the cold air would do her some good. “Tell Ruby I went for a walk. I'll be back soon.”

“Yang, I’m serious.” His voice was heavy and dark. “If you don’t think that woman has people watching you then you’re kidding yourself. If they catch you feeding off someone, you’re done for.”

“I’m going.” Yang stalked away slowly.

“... don't do something stupid kiddo.” Qrow entered inside without another word. He knew there was little he could do to dissuade her. 

She stormed off, boots making heavy footfalls on the city sidewalk. It felt like she was stepping hard enough to make indentations in the earth. Yang was careful, _always_ careful, and yet, her life had been thrown back into the spiral due to the actions of an unknown murderer. She hated how weak and stupid it made her feel, how it made her crave a dangerous distraction to clear her mind. Adrenaline was an addictive drug. 

School would start again next week. It would hopefully serve to keep her busy, what with all the physical training the academy required. She could do it. She was strong. This woman and whoever else wanted to catch her wouldn’t have the pleasure. 

_I hope so at least._ The threat of no blood for weeks hung at the back of her mind, slowly moving back and forth like a pendulum. Was she being watched now? Did the huntress really move that quickly? She didn’t want to admit it, but she was terrified, nerves full of ice cold terror. Still, she wouldn’t lay a hand on Ruby. She wouldn’t hurt her family ever again. 

\-----

Ruby was shocked to hear her phone buzzing so late. She didn’t have a lot of friends and those of which she did have, weren’t up playing video games at 1am trying to ignore the fact that their dearest sister was hiding pertinent information from her. Yang had gotten back an hour or so ago looking worse for wear, despite her assurances that she was ok. It looked like her pretty purple eyes were puffy from crying. It made Ruby’s chest hurt.

She grabbed her cell, humming along to the game music coming from the little TV in her room. Ruby didn’t recognize the number on her phone. Eh, whatever. It wouldn’t hurt to check to see what they wanted to say. 

_‘Hello, Ruby. This is Weiss Schnee. We met at Neptune and Sun’s party about a week ago.’_

Oh. She remembered Weiss, the really pretty girl from the party (Ruby thought she’d seemed super stuck up and a little bitch- mean at the time). How’d she get her number? Did Ruby give it to her at the party and forget? Her mind was already loaded with questions and it hurt to add even more to the pile. 

_‘If you are interested, I would love to have a cup of coffee with you next week whenever you are available.’_

That snooty girl wanted to hang out with her? Ruby wanted to wake Yang up and ask her what she should do. Part of her could already echo what her sister would say to her, ‘Ruby, you should be more social, Ruby, you should make more friends!’ 

She didn’t know why Weiss was texting her so late, or at all. She supposed she didn’t really mind; maybe it would be fun getting coffee with Weiss. Maybe she had misjudged the girl. At the very least, it would be a good distraction from whatever was going on with Yang that was being kept from her. 

And really, she did need more friends. So, she texted her back.

_‘Ok!!! whenevers good for you!!’_

She returned to her game, humming along to the tune, unable to sleep from worry and excitement. The moon was high outside her window, bright and shining like silver down on Vale. It was a favorite past time of her mother to take the girls outside and watch it. She would tell her children amazing tales of creatures and demons, warriors of light and the forces of darkness they fought. 

Ruby wanted to be just like her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may or may not be a Friday update depending on your timezone but here it is! Plot stuff, more stuff, some stuff
> 
> Thanks for reading! You are a superstar


	4. Debate Exposes Doubt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little shorter chapter this week. I got the stomach flu for a few days so I wasn't able to write as much blughgghghghghhh

It’d been another week since Cardin died. There were hushed rumors, lies, half truths fluttering through campus, spread in no part thanks to Cardin’s former friends, racist, vengeful lackeys who had decided to double down on their bullying in their ‘leader’s’ absence. Someone had gotten into a fist fight with Velvet and Coco, after they wouldn’t stop pulling on the former’s ears. All of them had been suspended. 

And yet, Yang Xiao Long, possible murderer, still walked around campus freely. Blake hadn’t approached her, and she hadn’t approached Blake, much to the faunus’s relief. Whenever Blake saw her on campus she was with her younger sister Ruby, chatting and walking as though nothing happened. She had the feeling Yang was putting on a front. The girl looked tired, her shoulders slumped forward as opposed to back and full of pride and courage. Even her blond hair seemed to glow a little less in the winter light. 

“What’s up Blake?” Sun handed her a disposable cup of tea. He’d lost a bet with her last week that he could get through an entire class without wearing pants, on the deal that Blake would get free coffee from him. It didn’t go well for Sun. She sipped her beverage, the tasty green tea warming her body and fighting against the cold. The trees had were starting to lose all their leaves and with it, the last remaining sign of fall. Snow was in the forecast and the city braced itself for ice and frigid temperatures. 

“Mm, nothing really.” She shrugged, eyes locked on a pair of sisters strolling across the quad. It looked like they’d just gotten out of some sort of training, sweat glistening even at a distance. Her father had been through similar training before, learning how to fight the monsters that apparently lurked behind the wall that protected Vale. Most people were lucky enough never to have to see them; some even began to question their existence. 

“Is what happened last week still bothering you?” Sun asked sheepishly. 

“... yeah.” She wanted to yell, ‘of _course_ it’s still bothering me’, but decided against it. It had been a nightmare coming to school the past week, between the heightened tensions between faunus and humans and the memory of Cardin, dismembered and drained of blood in the very quad they stood next to. 

“Me too honestly.” He drank his coffee using his tail as a third hand. “It's just so fucked man. This place is supposed to be safe.”

Blake couldn't agree with him more, and he hadn't even seen the crime scene photos she had. She'd studied them a few times, looking for a clue or some sort of hint that would either exonerate or damn Yang. Ultimately, she'd found nothing that the police hadn't already discovered. Certainly, it would be easier for her to let it be, to just ignore it and let it play out on its own. Her sleep had been fitful though, full of nightmares of monsters and him. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had to know the truth to receive some closure, not that it made any open logical sense. If anything, she should have been happy Cardin was dead, but it only made everything harder. She would never repeat some of the names she'd been called the past week. 

“They're having a memorial for him on Friday I think. Not that any faunus are gonna go probably…”

Maybe that was why she felt compelled to find the truth; it would clear the name of the faunus on campus. Regardless, she was already formulating a plan on how to move next. She’d could do something even the police couldn’t do.

“Anyways, I gotta go to class. Sociology. Buh. Catch ya later Blake.”

“See you Sun.” 

She had her own class to get to anyways; her favorite literature course. As she walked to the classroom she pulled out her phone and typed up a text, sending the message as she sat down at her desk and readied her notepad. 

_’Hi Yang. I know things are kind of weird, but do you want to hang out sometime? I'll buy you a drink.’_

When the message was fully sent she felt her pulse quicken. She was excited and afraid, but mostly determined. She wouldn't fuck this up. 

“Alright everyone, did you do the reading last night?” The teacher spoke up, looking just as tired as the students did. 

“I'm looking at you Jaune.”

“Oh, um, yeah!”

Blake rolled her eyes. The blond had not proved to be the greatest mind in the class. She hadn't spent much time with him, having been distracted by Sun, Yang, and her other friends. 

Her phone buzzed in her lap and she carefully check the screen while the teacher was still grilling Jaune. 

_’you have no idea how much i need a drink’_

Blake swallowed hard. 

\-----

Yang was floored when Blake asked her to hang out again. She thought the faunus would never, not in a million years, give her the time of day again, at least judging from their last interaction. They met at a cute little bar near campus that weekend, Yang having finally finished another agonizing week of no blood. Her body rallied against her, making her feel feverish and weak like she had a deadly virus. It was as good a reason as any to hang out with a cute girl, she supposed. She'd been feeling lonely and sad; Ruby had been somewhat standoffish lately. Luckily for her, a couple drinks would serve as an effective poultice. 

“What do you want? My treat.” Blake said, pulling a cute black and purple wallet out of her back pocket. The bar wasn’t terribly crowded or loud; Yang could see why Blake would like such a place. Several connoisseurs were reading books and there was even a communal bookshelf in the corner. The bartender was a kind looking old woman, a faunus, Yang quickly realized. Oftentimes she forgot how hard life could be for humanity’s relatives. 

“Strawberry Sunrise. Do they have those little umbrellas here?” Yang said, trying to be as chipper and normal as possible, despite how under the weather she was feeling. She’d yet to get the ‘all clear from Qrow’. In fact, she hadn’t heard from her uncle at all, which was really the worst part of it. She would have to try and contact him later.

Blake snickered, a little laugh that was dangerously cute, making Yang smile. “What's with you and the umbrellas?”

“Well if it rains in here I'll have the last laugh won't I?”

“ _Sure._ ”

“Trust me, it's happened before.”

“Really now?”

“Frankly, I’m shocked you don't believe me.”

Yang grabbed a table for the two, a cute one with a little chess table built into the top, not that Yang was an expert chess player by any means. Ruby was much better at it than she was. Card games though? She had those down to a science. 

“Here you go, complete with an umbrella.” Blake put down a bright red drink in front of Yang, who eagerly took a hearty sip. 

“Oh god, that hits the spot.” Yang laid her head down on the table as though she was going to take a nap. 

“You ok?” Blake asked, taking a far more moderate sip from her glass of beer. Some sort of stout, it looked like. “You look kinda tired.”

“I’m a little under the weather.” Yang groaned an understatement. 

“Is it about what happened to Cardin?” Blake asked, rubbing her thumbs against her pint glass. 

“Hmm, sort of,” Yang mumbled, rolling her head on the table to look up at Blake. “What about you are- are you ok?”

She sat back up and stared into her drink. “... I mean it’s kinda my fault you got involved in it. I was really surprised when you messaged me.”

Blake looked thoughtful for a moment, eyes scanning Yang and looking for something that was unknown to her. 

“It’s been stressful. My dad’s on that case too, so it’s been kinda hard on the whole family. School’s good at least though.” Blake finally responded. 

Yang frowned, focusing on the repeated patterns of the chessboard table instead of Blake, the girl who just should have been a casual fling and not someone she dragged into an investigation. Kinda ruined the whole casual bit.  
“... I’m so sorry.”

“It's ok.” The faunus responded, tone noncommittal but at least not angry. “I thought I should apologize too.” 

Yang thought it was a shame to see such a pretty face beat down so much.  
“I wasn't fair to you. If you did it, they probably would have found something by now, right… sorry, that came out wrong.”

Yang hummed gently, trying to keep her lips from curling into a grimace and trying to not think about how Blake’s neck looked particularly inviting. She was so damn _hungry._ “Hey, it's cool.”

“They told me about your… record.” Blake said sheepishly, eyes darting to the side as she said the last word. Yang took a deep breath in place of shouting, letting the air do its best to calm her down. Of _course_ they had, even though it had been years since Yang had gotten in trouble for anything. Of _course_ they told her ‘friends’. She hated that part of her life and wanted nothing more to do with it. 

“I had a rough couple of years when I first moved to Vale.” Yang shrugged. “I don’t…”

“I’ve been there too.” Blake’s response caught her off guard. “With bad crowds I mean.”

“You don't really look like it, no offense.” Yang’s head tilted slightly in confusion. 

“Neither do you.” Blake shot back, tone short.

“Fair.” Yang chuckled sadly. 

“... sorry.” Blake sighed. “What I’m trying to say is, I've done bad things too. I just never got caught. So I understand, I guess.”

Yang wasn't sure what to say. What was she supposed to say? ‘Thanks for telling me’? Was Blake trying to make her feel better? She'd even bought her drink earlier. 

“Thanks Blake.” She finally said, 

She pushed back in her chair and took another hearty swig, letting the tart, bittersweetness rush down the back of her throat. The liquor pooled in her stomach and made her feel less empty.  
“Read any good mystery books lately? If you've had the stomach to read I mean.”

Blake seemed surprised. By Yang’s question. “You remembered I like mystery, huh?”

“Books were most of what we talked about at the party that night.” Yang smiled. She was glad to get off the unsavoury subject. 

“I guess so.” Blake had the faintest hint of a smile on her face. “I haven’t read too much lately, aside from stuff for school. Jaune on the other hand…”

“The goofball from the party?” Yang snickered. He’d almost vomited on her shoes. “I mean, he didn’t strike me as the smartest.”

“It’s not even about being smart. It was like a 32 page reading!” Blake rolled her eyes and groaned. 

“Hey, 32 pages is a lot!” Yang shot back with a laugh. 

“Oh god not you too.” Blake sighed, though a smirk still tugged at her lips. It cheered Yang up significantly. 

\-----

“Hi Weiss!”

“Oh, Hello Ruby. It’s good to see you again.”

Ruby smiled broadly at the white haired beauty before her, dressed way, way, way, fancier than Ruby was. She looked like a princess with her silver hair tied up and her flowing silken dress. Ruby just had her mom’s old hoodie on and some boots and jeans; nothing to write home about. It didn’t really matter though, seeing as she didn’t care about girly stuff like Yang sometimes did. 

“The coffee shop on campus?” Weiss gestured gracefully across the quad. Classes were winding down for the day and Yang had already taken off, but the dining hall and coffee bars would still be open a while longer. Sad, tired, cramming students and all that. 

“Sure!” Ruby grinned widely. As Yang kept more and more secrets from her, she’d been looking forward to hanging out with Weiss more and more. She felt lonely and sad, hurt by her sister’s inability to talk to her. Qrow had been totally silent lately too, which was weird. Usually he texted her a few times a week. 

The coffee shop was packed with students, baggy, red eyed kids with open laptops and books. The smell of espresso was almost overwhelming, but welcome. As the air grew colder, so too did Ruby’s desire to have a sweet, caffeine loaded Mocha. Weiss walked stately up to the counter, ordering a ‘macchiato’ or something from the barista. 

“Ruby, what would you like?” Weiss asked her, pulling out a very fancy looking credit card. Ruby swallowed at the sight of it. Princess really was rich. 

“Uh, just a mocha!” Ruby squeaked. Weiss gave her a curious look.

 _Keep it cool Ruby!_ She admonished herself. While she was an expert at putting her foot in her mouth, she didn’t want to do it with her new… friend? Maybe. Who knew. This was all kinda weird. 

They sat down at one of the free tables, next to a cozy looking potted plant and radiator. She was thankful for the warmth and heat inside the cafe. Unlike her sister, she wasn’t super great with the cold. 

“So, Ruby.” Weiss began, the two of them still waiting on their drinks. “How is academia?” 

“Huh? Oh. Good!” Ruby proceeded to start putting her foot in her mouth. “I haven’t had any tests yet, which is nice!” 

“Yes, I believe the academy is more focused on physical trials.”

 _Why does she talk so fancy?_ Ruby wondered. Rich people were super weird. 

“You and your sister are in the academy, correct?” Weiss continued. 

“You mean Yang?” Ruby tilted her head. “Yep, that’s us. Just like our dad!” 

“And how are you and your sister enjoying it so far?” Weiss said with a smile, a little too bright somehow.


	5. Sweetest Kill

Qrow had a few bars he trusted and even fewer that he enjoyed. Junior’s was ok, if you didn’t mind shady dealings and cheap hand soap. On a Monday evening no one was really around, except some blue collar workers and sad students from the college. He was glad not to find either of his nieces there, though a few years ago he almost certainly would have found Yang raging the night away into a numb bliss. The bartender, Junior, knew Yang quite well, though she’d threatened him not to mention that to anyone quite aggressively once she decided to fix things. 

She was a good kid on the right track again. It had just taken her a little while to get there. 

Qrow was waiting for someone. Junior poured him another whiskey, bottom shelf crap that kept him drunk. It tasted like shit and the alcohol got caught in his mess of a beard but he didn’t really care. Oftentimes a vampire’s senses were dulled during the day, becoming more prominent and forceful after dark, which, ironically, meant that drinking crap ass alcohol wasn’t too terrible.

Somebody sat down next to him, though it felt more like they had appeared out of nowhere. His sister had always moved silently, like an assassin, even more so than other vampires. 

“Something to drink… mam?” Junior looked like he had seen a ghost as he looked at her, his voice squeaking up to an unreasonable pitch. Qrow smirked. Poor guy probably thought he’d seen the demon version of Yang or something, not that he would have been far off. 

“Rusty Nail.” Junior nodded like a terrified servant and wordlessly made the drink. Qrow rolled his eyes as his sister finally turned to stare at him. She didn’t drink nearly as much as he did (no one did really), but when she did she had expensive tastes. Junior would probably be too afraid to charge her, regardless. 

“Raven.”

“Qrow.”

 _Talkative as always._ He groaned like he had a migraine and drank his whiskey like it was the only cure. 

“What do you want?” Raven asked, grabbing her her cocktail with one hand and leaving a surprisingly sizable tip on the table with the other. 

“You never call just to talk anymore, brother.” Her lips curled into that annoying little devious smile on her stupid face. She’d had it ever since childhood, as well as her _charming_ personality. 

“You know what happened to Yang right? Kid’s in some shit right now.” Qrow grumbled, matching a pair of red eyes with his sister’s. Her expression hardened, that imaginary fortress of hers cracking slightly. 

“Of course you do. Look, just tell me straight up; did you kill that kid?”

“What kid?” Raven scoffed. 

“You're a shit liar sis. You know who I'm talking about. I just need to know if you're the one who bled the poor kid dry.”

“And what would you do if I was?”

“Don't play with me.” Qrow hissed. “If give a crap about Yang at all, you’ll help me clear her name, alright?”

“I don't care because she's _fine_. You're letting your stupid feud with Schnee go to your head.” Raven rolled her eyes and took a swig out of her drink. Qrow growled and tightly clenched his whiskey glass, trying his best not to shatter the tumbler. 

“You really are in the running for world’s worst mother, you know that right?” Qrow slammed his empty glass down on the counter and a still terrified junior filled it back up dutifully. 

“Hard to be in the running when you're not a mother.” Raven grumbled. “Once they find out she's a daywalker they won't want anything to do with her.”

“And what makes you so sure-”

“Because Schnee and Ironwood are after a bigger prize. Yang doesn't know anything about Ozpin’s little club. She's useless to them.”

“Cause you're just so above it all, aren't you sis? This is a problem for _all_ of us, including Yang.”

Raven finished her drink and stepped back from the bar, glaring at her brother intently. 

“Not my problem. Not anymore. See you around Qrow.” 

He didn't bother trying to stop her. When Raven wanted to leave, she left, and he had found out the hard way the collateral damage that would be left behind if he tried to stop her. 

“Sorry ‘bout that Junior.” Qrow placed a large tip of his own on the counter. 

“So, uh, what's this going on with blondy?”  
Junior asked sheepishly. 

“You don't wanna know.” Qrow coughed, slamming back his drink. “And I’m not nearly drunk enough to deal with this right now.”

\-----

“How can you be so bad at chess?”

“Look, it’s not exactly something you need to know to join the military.”

“Really, there wasn’t a chess test you had to take?”

“Shockingly, no!”

Blake laughed as she took Yang’s king once again, happily adding the royal piece to the line up of captured pawns and soldiers. Yang coughed into her arm loudly, skin looking another shade or two paler like a zombie. Blake raised an eyebrow at her but didn’t say anything. As long as she didn’t catch whatever the hell Yang had it didn’t really matter. 

“A lot of people say chess is one of the foundations of military strategy.” She explained, setting the pieces back up in the event Yang wanted to lose again. “You’re too afraid to sacrifice any of your pieces.”

“I guess I get it. One more game though! I’m going down without a fight.” Yang pumped her fist, drinking her… third tequila? Blake was shocked the blond was drinking so much despite being ‘under the weather’. Whatever. She wasn’t her mom. If she wanted to drink till she puked Blake could care less. The faunus had stopped drinking a while ago herself. 

To be quite honest, Blake was having a much better time hanging out with Yang than she anticipated. A couple of hours had already passed since they’d initially arrived at the bar, the two of them significantly less tense than when they first arrived, though Yang still looked like she needed to sleep for about a week or two. Still, the blonde managed to be funny and witty, jovial and kind like when they had first initially met. She hadn’t mentioned anything about the fact that they were in a faunus bar either, nor had she let anything slip about the murder, much to Blake’s chagrin. She’d been hoping a few drinks would have loosened the blonde’s tongue a little bit. The faunus was almost convinced now that Yang was keeping something from her. 

_Why does the cute funny human have to be so very mysterious?_ Blake thought to herself, moving one of her pawns forward. Yang moved the exact mirror image of Blake’s pawn on her side of the board with a devious looking grin. 

“Really, Yang?” Blake rolled her eyes. 

“It’s on.” She grinned widely, though Blake could smell the alcohol seeping off of her lips. Blake was about to make her next move when her ‘friend’s’ phone buzzed, jostling the pieces on the table slightly. 

“One sec.” Yang’s eyes scanned the text message that popped up on the screen. Her mirthful attitude left quickly. “... shit, I gotta go.” 

“Is something wrong?” Blake asked, noticing her sudden change in demeanor. 

“Just something stupid I have to take care of.” She stood up from the table, a little shakily, and grabbed her jacket. 

“Do you need help getting home?” Blake stood up with her, a little concerned about sending an intoxicated murder suspect off on her own where no one could monitor her movements.

“Huh? Uh, no I’m ok, I just gotta do this real quick.” She brushed it off. 

“Not very convincing.” 

“I’m good, I swear.” 

Blake stood up and grabbed her jacket and scarf off the back of her chair.  
“Let me walk with you, just for a little bit, ok? I’m… kinda the one that got you tipsy.”

She could have sworn that Yang was a little too focused on her while she was wrapping her scarf around her neck. It made her pulse quicken a little bit and a some of that fear from long ago return. It wasn’t like there was anything to see.

“... ok. Just for a bit though.” Yang finally responded. 

\-----

Yang didn’t really want Blake to follow her. Or be around her really, but she didn’t want to just push her away either. What a fucking issue. She was feeling increasingly sick and hungry and wanted nothing more than to take a nap for a month or two. It had started snowing by the time they left the bar, little snowflakes getting caught in Blake’s hair and the fur on her cat ears, making her look like she had a pretty jeweled veil on. Every once in awhile the faunus would shiver a bit and her nose had started to turn a little red in defiance of the cold. It would have been the perfect opportunity snuggle up and...

Qrow had sure texted her at a shit time. She was actually starting to have a nice evening with a cute girl when he’d sent her a rather alarming message. 

‘hey we should meet real quick. i saw raven sorry I havent been in contact’

Yang wanted to puke all over everything and everyone at the sight of that name. Qrow really should have known better than to have brought her up at all, regardless of whether or not she was involved in the shitshow that was Cardin’s death, something Yang didn't even do, that had now suddenly just turned her life upside down in the timeline of less than a month.

Qrow was at Junior’s bar waiting for her, probably drunk, like he always was, though Yang hardly was in any position to admonish him tonight. He'd probably lose it when he found out she hadn't been tapping Ruby like a keg for blood, a thought that was starting to seem increasingly ok.

“This is we were when-” Blake’s soft voice broke the snowy silence as Yang waltzed up to the club entrance. The faunus turned a light shade of red. 

When you got drunk and kissed me and then Cardin got murdered Yang completed the thought in her head. 

“Yep, unfortunately.” Yang grumbled. Her friend was probably wondering what god forsaken reason Yang could have possibly had to return to such a nasty, sticky place. She hoped Blake didn't hate her or mistrust her, she really did. It was strange of her to follow her all the way to Junior’s though. 

“My Uncle likes to drink here on weekdays.”

“Is that who you're meeting?” Blake looked at her with narrowed eyes. Yang nodded and double checked her phone for the time. 10:35pm. The bar would be a bit crowded, but that was probably for the best. Lots of drunk voices could drown out any sort of important conversation from prying eyes and ears. 

“You can go home y’know.” Yang smiled, walking up to the entrance were the bouncer tried not to stare at her and piss his pants. “You got like a curfew or something, right?”

“Not till midnight.” She looked at Yang with a glint of curiosity and a bit is suspicion. The blond didn't like it. It made her feel like she was being interrogated at the police station again. 

“It's not super safe this late.” Yang responded, trying to get the faunus to just go home. It truly wasn’t very safe, especially with people like Yang patrolling the streets at night. Her throat felt parched and sandpapery. 

“I could say the same thing to you.” Blake hummed, cat ears twitching and flicking in the snow. “I'll wait for you and walk you home. Ok?”

Yang clearly was not winning the situation at all. Blake seemed determined to follow her home for some reason, reasons that Yang sincerely hoped didn’t have to do with Cardin’s murder. She was an interesting girl for sure. Too smart for her own good. 

“I don’t know how long I’ll be.”

“I’ll wait with the bouncer.” 

Yang shrugged yet again and entered the bar. Mostly blue collar workers sat at the tables, drinking pints and mumbling through yellow teeth the troubles of the day. Most of them were probably dock workers, tireless strongmen who hauled cargo off boats by day and night. Qrow was sitting at the bar, slugging back glasses and looking as tired and lifeless as ever. Yang had never liked his red eyes much; they reminded her too much of what she had the misfortune of becoming. 

“Sup Qrow.” She tried to remain jovial, not wanting to dig into the older man right away. He eyed her and wrinkled his nose, creases and lines forming in his forehead making him look older than he was. Not that pure blooded vampires tended to show their age. 

“You haven’t eaten? You look like shit.”

“No.” She sure felt like shit. Her fingers twitched like she’d been electrically shocked. “I told you I wasn’t going to.”

“What’s your fucking problem kid?” Qrow slammed his fist on the table. “You’re gonna get yourself killed. Ruby will-”

“What’s _Your_ problem?!” Yang shouted back, officially gaining the attention of a good portion of the bar. “You met with… with _her_?”

“Because I think she might be responsible!” 

“Just thinking it isn’t good enough!” The dryness of her throat protested against the volume of her voice. She brought a hand to her neck and gingerly touched it, as though the action would make her thirst go away.

Junior very sheepishly approached the two, muttering something about how he wanted to two to quiet down a little bit. They both ignored him completely. 

“Well is she?” Yang growled, blood searing and hot under her skin. 

“She was cagey about it. It’s entirely possible. That’s why I wanted to-”

She scoffed, standing up abruptly from her barstool. 

“Yang wait-”

“I didn’t come here for this.”

Yang stormed away, despite Qrow’s pleas otherwise. Anger colored her vision and muffled her hearing, making everything sound like it was covered in cotton and plastic. Her breathing became heavy and labored, She wanted something to block out the pain and anger, anything, a twisted powerful drug that would make her mind go blank and slow her pulse. 

Blake was still waiting for her outside, much to Yang’s surprise, and immediately caught the change in the blond’s demeanor. 

“Hey, are you ok?” Blake asked, watching as Yang huffed and took in labored breaths. The bouncer kept an eye on her. His neck was so thick, muscular, with liters of blood rushing through it every few minutes. 

“It just, wasn’t anything I wanted to hear. Don’t worry about it.” Yang said with one of her most forced smiles ever. Ruby would have slapped her for such a transparent lie. The faunus looked really beautiful, amber eyes resembling gold in a shitty fucking city covered in snow and tar. 

“Time to head home!” Yang chuckled, eyes drifting to Blake’s neck and the portion of pale skin she could see above the girl’s scarf. God she was angry. God she was _hungry_. Blake’s blood had tasted so good and amazing. 

“Right.” Blake responded, suspicion evident in her tone. Yang didn’t even care if Blake found her suspicious anymore. It was hard to care about anything when one of the few people you trusted in the world met with your birth mother and didn’t even offer to put you into contact with them, despite the fact that you’d been searching for her for years, fruitlessly, trying to track down a target that didn’t ever want to be found. 

And yet, she had just been in the bar, probably a few hours before, chatting with her uncle. Her fucking bitch of an estranged mother, if she could even use that term, who had abandoned her as a child, who had cursed her knowingly with vampirism, who was the source of so much of Yang’s pain and unhappiness, had been here. 

The anger absolutely blinded her. Her feet worked on autopilot to take her home because she couldn’t even see straight. She craved poison, craved a release. The snow crunched under her black boots in a rhythmic pounding. 

Her stomach didn’t growl; it never really did, but as she started to walk home with Blake she could feel the desire bubbling up from within her, a pure, overwhelming desire to just _eat_. Snow kept falling and it landed in her hair, making her blond curls feel cold and heavy on the top of her head. The ice felt good, calming, a source of shocking emotion that prevented her from just losing it. In all honesty, jumping in the frigid ocean seemed like a good idea. 

They were by the docks, at least, she thought they were. She could make out the waves crashing against the breakers and the docks, and the sound the wind made when it whistled past flagpoles and boat masts. A voice kept calling out to her repeatedly, but it just sounded like nonsense. 

“Yang!” 

“Huh?”

“I’ve been trying to talk to you. I think maybe you need a doctor.” Blake’s voice was so cute. So concerned and such a lovely alto tone. It was beautiful and mysterious, just like she was. The girl placed her head on Yang’s forehead and her skin felt like absolute ice against Yang’s burning skin. 

“Oh. Maybe.” Yang couldn’t hear very well save for a sort of buzzing that was starting to build up in the back of her head. Her skin was so soft, like silk. 

“Seriously, you look like you’re about to fall over.” Blake put a hand on her shoulder and her blood surged underneath her skin, like red hot fire. The faunus was so close and she smelled so good and Yang was so fucking hungry. 

“You’re really pretty.” Yang giggled, stumbling slightly in the snow. 

Blake flushed and turned her head away as she leaned forward to grab Yang’s arm, preventing the blond from landing face first in the snow. She was so kind and _shit_ did she smell nice. 

“Jesus Yang. You’re coming home with me, ok? Then we’ll get you to a doctor tomorrow.” She was probably too kind. Yang was still scarcely more than a stranger, a very dangerous stranger at that.

“I don’t need a doctor.” Yang turned Blake’s head to face hers with her hand, brushing against the cotton fabric of the faunus’s scarf. It was in the way. Very, very in the way. Time seemed to slow down a bit as she nudged the fabric down with her thumb. Her skin was soft, chilled by the winter air but Yang could still feel the blood pulsing through her veins and arteries. 

“Yang, your eyes are-”

“I need you.” 

She pulled Blake close and sank her teeth into her skin, sharp fangs breaking skin and bringing blood rushing to the surface.


	6. Got Well Soon

“So what’s a ‘Macheeato’ anyways?” Ruby asked Weiss, watching as the girl finished her tiny baby looking drink. 

“ _Macchiato._ ” Weiss corrected her with a snooty scoff. Ruby thought it was super funny how hot and bothered Weiss appeared to get over silly stuff like coffee. “It’s espresso with foam. It’s a more refined drink choice for the evening than a full sized latte.”

Ruby thought she heard Weiss mutter something like, ‘not that you would know’, under her breath but thought nothing of it. They’d left the coffee shop about fifteen minutes ago, the sun having set and night taking over. Weiss had insisted on walking her home for some reason, but Ruby just took that as a sign that their meeting had gone well and that she had successfully not made an enemy out of the pretty white haired girl. 

It was crazy how Weiss just sort of blended into the snow that was falling, like a ghost or something. It was pretty. 

“Does your sister come home every night?” Weiss suddenly asked her, hand resting underneath her chin as her high heeled boots made curious crunching sounds against the icy pavement.

“Uh, I guess so.” Ruby shrugged. She couldn’t exactly say, ‘well, she’s a vampire and sometimes she has to go eat people, but she feels really bad about it and everything and it really sucks’. Weiss asked her weird questions about her sister. It made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

“What about you? You’re not a partier right?” Ruby giggled, trying to catch a snowflake here and there on her tongue.

“Most of the time, no.” Weiss responded, giving Ruby a strange look. “Though the occasional social gathering is not without merit.”

Ruby couldn’t help but snicker. She was sort of the same way. She never would have gone to Neptune’s party if Yang hadn’t insisted that she go and try to make friends. It had actually been a lot of fun and she was kinda almost friends with that faunus girl Blake now. 

Yang of course, looked like she had wanted to be a little more than friends with Blake. Ruby swallowed. Yang did that sometimes, with people she liked a lot, and Ruby knew it was because she was lonely. She just wish it didn’t end up with holes in someone’s neck. Her sister refused to ever just feed off of her, despite the fact that Ruby really didn’t mind and would have honestly preferred it to Yang going out and finding some unfortunate soul every other night. 

“Why so interested in my sister?” Ruby asked sheepishly.

“Hm? I suppose part of it is your lack of resemblance.” Weiss seemed a bit caught off guard. “You two are curious.”

“In a good way I hope.”

“... in a good way.”

Ruby shuffled her hands around in her sweater’s big cozy pocket. “We’re not fully related. We had different moms but, she’s 100% my sister through and through!” 

Weiss actually flashed a rare smile at her. “That’s… very admirable, actually. I happen to have an older sister as well.”

“Is she as pretty as you?”

“Wh-what?!” Weiss stuttered, face turning shockingly red. It really stood out against the white winter backdrop. 

“I mean it though! You’re like a princess. I bet you meet a lot of cute people.” Ruby laughed, amused by her friend’s reaction. They were friends now, right?

“People always uh,” Ruby began, continuing before Weiss could respond again. “Think I’m pretty weird. I was surprised when you said you wanted to hang out. B-but, I’m glad we can be friends!”

Weiss gave her a look that perhaps resembled pity. She didn't think much of it though. 

“Well, not everyone is of the understanding sort.” Weiss huffed. “I myself have experienced… ignorance and cruelty. But I have made it my goal to strive for perfection regardless!” 

Ruby frowned as Weiss puffed out her chest proudly. She was kind of surprised that someone rich like Weiss had a bit of a rough history. It didn’t seem fair. 

“Sorry, I have to look at this.” A beautiful ringtone came from Weiss’s phone, a very expensive looking model of smartphone Ruby hadn’t even seen before. 

“Ruby, were you aware your sister went out tonight?” 

“Eh? Why are you asking about my sister again-”

“You should go straight home. I have… something to take care of.”

“What does this have to do with Yang?” Ruby pleaded the question, increasingly distressed by the realization that she really did have no idea where Yang was. Her sister had been distant recently. But that didn’t mean she’d lost it or anything. And why was Weiss asking so many questions about her anyways?

“Look, Yang is-”

“Ruby Rose. Go home.” Weiss spoke her words with a force behind them. “I’m sorry we had to cut our outing short.”

“No, not till you tell me what this is all about.” She walked in front of Weiss, trying to act a bit tougher than she was. 

“It’s _about_ protecting this city.” Weiss clenched her fists. “Ruby, don’t make me arrest you.”

“Arrest me!? For what?”

“Knowingly protecting a vampire.” Weiss became cold, eyes full of frost and menace and Ruby’s heart sank far into her chest.

Ruby’s instincts overwhelmed her better judgement. For one reason or another, Yang was in trouble, and Weiss knew about her secret. She had to help her sister and she didn’t care if Qrow or anyone else got mad at her for it. Her powers weren’t supposed to be used, not unless she was in danger.

But this counted right?

“Uh- um, I’m really sorry about this!” She felt power form in her eyes and saw Weiss’s jaw drop towards the ground. A bright flash of light erupted from her hands, bright enough to blind anyone temporarily if they were unlucky enough to look at it, like Weiss was. The girl screamed and covered her eyes, arms rising to try and block out the bright light. Ruby grabbed Weiss’s phone and started running. 

\-----

Yang looked absolutely livid when she exited the bar, looking like a demon on a mission as heat practically radiated off of her. Blake swallowed a lump in her throat, trying to force anxiety and fear deep inside her stomach with little success. 

“Are you ok?” She tentatively asked, hands growing sweaty inside her pockets. 

“It just, wasn’t anything I wanted to hear. Don’t worry about it.”

Blake couldn't shake the feeling that Yang was lying to her, lying to her specifically about something Cardin related. The forced smile didn’t certainly didn’t help. It couldn't be coincidence that they were back at the bar again, right? It was practically like Yang was rubbing it in her face. 

“Time to head home!” The blond was clearly trying to force a chipper attitude, with little success. Blake wasn’t always amazing when it came to emotions, but it would have been obvious that Yang was angry enough to bulldoze anyone and anything. 

“Right.” Blake responded, tongue heavy in her mouth and throat dry. Yang walked like a lit emergency flare, heat coming off of her and golden hair seeming especially bright in the darkness. They walked side by side, though Blake wasn’t entirely sure that Yang was even aware of her for a while. Her breath came in labored gulps and her eyes looked hazy. Sweat poured off her brow and her footfalls became increasingly lazy and heavy. 

“Yang?” Blake asked. She didn’t want the poor thin- the girl, to pass out before they made it back home. Landing face first in the snow was unpleasant regardless of who you were.  
Yang ignored her or didn’t hear her, hazy lavender eyes trained on the ground and mouth twitching at the corners. Blake swore she could see some red in her corneas. 

“Yang, are you ok?” She asked again, hoping to get a response. Once again, Yang was silent, the only response Blake received being the gentle sound of the ocean rocking against the shore. 

She used to spend a lot of time on the shore. With him. He would run his hands through her hair and tell her how much he loved her before running off with the White Fang to ruin some lives, including hers. As she touched her arm gently, she swore she heard a third pair of footsteps coming from behind them. 

_I’m imagining things again._

“Yang!” Blake’s voice came louder this time. 

“Huh?” Finally, a response. Yang looked terrible and almost certainly needed medicine of some sort. It wasn’t uncommon for people to get sick during the winter, especially when you were also under the stress of a murder investigation. Blake would have felt worse for her if she had been convinced of the blond’s innocence. 

“I’ve been trying to talk to you. I think maybe you need a doctor.” Blake said, trying to get a good look at Yang’s eyes. They were darting around all over the place, unfocused and shadowed. 

“Oh. Maybe.” 

“Seriously, you look like you’re about to fall over.” The faunus sighed. 

_Christ, she’s barely awake._ Blake rested her hand against Yang’s forehead and felt like she had pressed the appendage to hot coals. ‘Burning up’ was an understatement. Yang felt like she was on fire. She pulled the blond a bit closer and tried to prop her up in order to prevent her from becoming good friends with the ground. 

Yang let out a tiny little laugh. “You’re really pretty.” 

Blake’s cheeks flushed without her consent at the compliment, though in her mind she knew it was foolish to appreciate such a comment from a delirious college student. 

“Jesus Yang. You’re coming home with me, ok? Then we’ll get you to a doctor tomorrow.” She hated the idea of Yang staying in her house, but she wasn’t confident she could figure out where the blond lived. In her current state, she probably didn’t even remember herself. 

Blake felt warmth as Yang’s hand touched her cheek, gently pulling her face towards the other girl’s. She pulled at the scarf Blake had wrapped around her neck. 

“I don’t need a doctor.” Blake caught her eyes. Bright, fire red rubies staring right through her. Those same eyes from what seemed like an eternity ago. It felt like a monster was about to consume her.

“Yang your eyes are-” Panic overtook Blake and she tried to pull away, but Yang’s grip turned strong and felt searing against her skin. Was she going to die? 

“I need you.” Yang lurched towards her neck and Blake felt her skin puncture, those sharp teeth that had crossed her lips not too long ago biting down into her. She felt blood flow out of the wound and Yang took it from her like a starving animal. She felt cold and the only warmth came from Yang pressed against her neck. 

But the worst part was how good it felt. It shouldn’t have felt good, it really shouldn’t have. It was a weird sort of ecstasy, like someone had given her a drug or gotten her drunk. The more blood Yang took from her the warmer she felt, the more _alive_ she felt. 

Gunfire. Her mind returned to her as Yang was pulled off of her by the force of a bullet. Blake fell down onto her knees, gasping for breath, trying to fill her lungs with cold winter air despite the complete and utter protesting from her body. She coughed and pressed her hand to her neck, still feeling hot, red blood oozing out from fresh wounds. The haze gradually left her eyes, whatever poison or spell Yang had used on her starting to fade. 

“Fuck…” She heard Yang groan to the side, vision catching that familiar mop of blond hair struggling to stay upright. Her hand rested over her abdomen, where blood poured out of a wound making the air smell like iron and gunpowder. 

“Yang Xiao Long,” An unfamiliar voice called out, belonging to a well dressed man pointing a silver lined gun at Yang. “You’re being taken into custody. If you try to resist I’ve been authorized to use deadly force.” 

Blake coughed roughly again, throat spasming and rebelling, despite any infinite number of questions she could have possibly asked in the moment. She fought to face Yang, who was staring at her with a horrified expression on her face. Bright light reflected from pools of water that were forming at the base of her eyes

“Hands behind your head Xiao Long!” The unknown man ordered her and she began to comply, limbs rising shakily to be set behind her head. She looked terrified and frightened, disgusted, like she might puke at any moment. How was she still standing after being shot? 

What was she?

“Yang, close your eyes!”

Another voice, belonging to Ruby Rose arrived and pierced the air before an impossibly bright flash of light flooded the area. Blake hissed and covered her eyes, but she was too late, the light bleaching out anything and everything, blinding her. She felt arms wrap around her and pick her up, a powerful grip that made her feel frightened and safe all at the same time. Her consciousness started to fade, the anesthesia of exhaustion taking over her senses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your amazing comments!!!! I get a total joy out of reading them, for sure. This chapter's a wee bit shorter than the last but the next one will be quite long! As always, thank you for reading!


	7. Look Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY sorry about the lack of update on Monday school absolutely thrashed me this week. This update is a little on the short side, but I promise I'll keep updating as frequently as I can!

Fucked. 

_Fucked._

It was over. Game over. Everything was fucked. There wasn’t any coming back from what had just happened. She’d been found out, shot, and nearly taken away to be pried apart in some torture dungeon or whatever the hell hunters did when they caught people like her. Her family had always been cagey on the details when it came to possible untimely death. 

Ruby had gotten involved too. She’d stolen a hunter’s phone (which they promptly threw into the sea in case it could be traced back to them), and helped Yang escape. Helped a _monster_ escape. There was no way things could go back to normal for her now. Her bright future was being tarnished and besmirched by her own sister. 

And there was Blake too, who was resting in the corner of the warehouse they’d broken into; some old derelict packaging plant. In the panic of the moment Yang had just scooped her up and run off with Ruby. Looking back on it, it had been an immensely stupid idea. Everytime she looked at Blake she wanted to cry. Her heart felt like it was going to explode in her chest. 

Yang had completely lost it. She could have killed her if that officer hadn’t shown up. Any self control she normally had had been utterly thrown out the window in a haze of hunger and thirst. She’d been a fucking idiot to think she could go without feeding for as long as she did. 

Ruby fidgeted with her fingers awkwardly, legs bouncing back and forth of a storage container she’d chosen to sit on. She glanced back and forth from Yang to Blake and back again, over and over again, clearly at a loss for words. 

In a way, Yang was lucky. Not everyone had a witch for a sister that could save her from getting iced by hunters. They’d meant business too, whoever they were. The two of them had struggled to get the silver bullet out of Yang’s abdomen and her body refused to heal the wound like normal. The tissue was desiccated and decaying around the wound, a searing pain lighting up her insides and making her weak and exhausted. Hopefully, with some extra rest and downtime (and some blood probably) it would heal. Yang wasn’t sure she had the opportunity to just ‘take some time off’ though. She'd be lucky if she found a place to hide out now. 

“What she we do with her?” Ruby finally broke the silence and asked the question that was on both their minds. 

“I have no idea.” Yang sighed, looking at their accidental captive. Her neck had stopped bleeding a while ago, but the evidence of a bite still lingered. “We need to get her home, I think.”

“Yeah.” Ruby nodded in agreement. “She’ll be ok Yang. It didn’t look like she’d actually lost too much blood.”

“I hope so.” Yang slumped down further into her chosen corner, holding a makeshift bandage on her injury. The faunus was still resting peacefully, chest bobbing up and down with the rising and falling of her breath, eyes fluttering every now and then as though she was dreaming. Normally, she sapped blood from someone until they fell entirely unconscious, then she would leave them propped up somewhere. There was a sort of ‘anesthetic', as Qrow had explained it to her, that would gradually put the victim under and make their memory foggy. It prevented them from fighting back, like a snake poisoning its prey. 

Hopefully Blake wouldn't remember.  
Her blood had been so rich and delicious. Like an aged, fine red wine that only the super wealthy could afford. Few people tasted quite so _delightful_ , really. 

“Are you ok Ruby?” Yang asked with a cough. Her stomach fucking hurt like she’d eaten lava.

“I'm ok.” Ruby gave one of her ever optimistic grins. 

“As good as can be expected I guess.”

Yang smiled weakly. “You should go home, maybe. Stay with dad for a while.”

“I'm not going anywhere without you Yang.” Ruby huffed. “... not after we’re finally together again.”

Yang sighed and grit her teeth. There wasn't much convincing Ruby when she had her mind set on something. Blake shifted in her prone position. 

“I love you, you know?” Ruby’s voice came more quietly as she hopped off the shipping container to check on the stirring Blake. 

“I love you too Rubes. So much.”

The faunus started to rise, eyes half open little crescents that tried in vain to figure out where she was. Blake blinked, trying to force away drowsiness and clear her vision. She didn't recognize this place. It smelled like fish and oil and the only sounds she could hear came from old rusty chains tied to long abandoned rafters. She felt like she needed a tetanus shot just from the sound alone. 

“Blake, are you ok?” A quiet, high pitched voice asked her. She felt a hand on her arm and snapped awake, feline eyes widening and pupils transforming into slits. 

“Don't touch me!” She screamed, beating back at his hand. Why wouldn't he stop hurting her? How had he turned into a monster? A girl shrieked and the hand went away. It took a moment for her anger and fear to fade away. Her heart sank when she realized it was just Ruby, and not him. 

“R-Ruby?” She stammered, mouth feeling sandpapery and dry. 

“Hey Blake…” Ruby smiled, rubbing her hand where Blake had struck her. Blake’s eyes twitched and darted around the room, adrenaline and fear still coursing through her veins and clouding reality. 

“What are you doing here?” Blake asked, frightened and cold. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. 

“Where are we?”

“Some warehouse. We just needed someplace to go after uh, y’know.” Ruby fidgeted with her hands, fingernails clacking together in a scattered rhythm. Her silver eyes shifted back and forth. 

Blake scanned the area herself, not quite sure what Ruby was talking about. Her memory struggled to come back to her. 

She’d been with Yang. Yang had been shot, but only after she had savagely bit into Blake’s neck. A hand drifted to her neck to put pressure on an annoying pain. She stood up slowly, surprised when crusted, old blood came back on her hand. Her eyes drifted to another corner of the room, matching gazes with a pair of somber looking lilac eyes. 

“You-” Blake’s pulse spiked sharply and everything suddenly seemed clear again. She backed up, eventually making contact with the wall and wishing ever so much that it wasn't there. 

“What the hell are you?” Blake choked. Her hand pressed harder into her neck where Yang had bit her. Venom seeped out of her voice. 

“Blake-” The blond shifted, a hand pressed onto her stomach where her clothes were stained red and brown with old and fresh blood. 

“Don’t-” Blake looked at Ruby, as though she’d receive a more satisfying answer from the younger girl. She looked away from the faunus, trying to hide under a blanket that wasn’t there. 

“Well, what the hell do you think?” Yang shifted in place again, coughing heavily into her arm. Overall, she looked a lot better than the last time Blake had seen her. Much of the color had returned to her skin and she no longer looked like she was going to just fall over from exhaustion. She appeared to be in a lot of pain however, and her brow glistened with sweat and her beautiful golden hair looked wild and dirty.

“I’m a vampire.”  
Well. That explained everything and nothing all at the same time. 

“Vampires aren’t real. This isn’t… this isn’t real.” The itching on the side of her neck begged to differ. She must have been drugged, or perhaps she was asleep, dreaming. 

“Blake, I know it’s pretty hard to believe but-” Ruby’s high pitched voice tries to squeak out an explanation. 

“I knew something was weird about you two.” Blake cut Ruby off. She was waiting for any second now to wake up from her strange nightmare. Pinching herself didn't seem to be working and the pit of her stomach bubbled up with fear and knowing. 

“What?” Yang tried to stand up with mixed results, eventually landing upright on her feet. 

“Your eyes, they… you killed Cardin too, didn't you?” Blake felt confident in her accusation. 

“I didn't kill him!” Yang shouted, startling both Ruby and Blake. Her faunus ears tapered down towards her head. 

“And this isn't some dream either, alright?” The blond continued, anger rising and eyes flaring with flames. 

“I almost- I hurt you.” Yang’s tone quickly shifted somber. She looked away from Blake and limped over closer to her sister. 

Blake opened her mouth to speak and closed it when she realized there was nothing to say. Yang did hurt her. She moved slightly farther away from  
The two sisters. 

“What am I doing here?” Blake asked quietly. She really wanted to go home. “I don’t get it, did you kidnap me? I remember you getting shot and then-”

“You know, I’m not totally sure either.” Yang responded avoiding eye contact. “We were just… staying here until it was safe to go out again. I guess-”

The blond sighed and tried to take as deep a breath as her injury would allow. “I guess I wanted to make sure you were ok.”

Likely story. She probably took her with her so she could use her as a blood bag, because apparently, vampires were real and she was likely to get killed by one. Cardin’s death suddenly made a lot more sense. Blake didn't signify her with a response. Ruby rested a hand on her sister's shoulder and the two whispered in hushed tones with each other. 

“Can I leave?” Blake interrupted them. They looked back at her, both looking just as sad and confused as she felt. 

“Oh uh, maybe?” Ruby squeaked, looking over at Yang. 

“It’s late but, I guess you can go home, yeah.” Yang said. “... Can you not tell anyone where we are?”

“Why shouldn’t I?” Blake responded, looking around for the exit. 

“I mean, I guess I wouldn’t blame you if you did.” The blond chuckled weakly. “I’m probably fucked either way, but you should at least give Ruby the benefit of the doubt. Don’t tell them about her, please?”

“Yang no-”

“Ruby, I’m not letting you get hurt because of me, ok?” 

“I’m not letting you go through this alone!”

Blake looked back and forth between the two girls, feeling a slight guilt bubble up in her heart. The two sisters loved each other greatly, something that had been evident to Blake even when she met them so long ago at Sun’s party. It humanized them; humanized a literal vampire, apparently. 

Blake began to shuffle towards an old, battered door that appeared to be the exit while the two sisters continued to argue with each other. They didn’t notice as Blake reached out for the handle of the sliding warehouse door, but they did take notice when a booming metallic pounding echoed throughout the abandoned warehouse.


	8. A Nightmare to Remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOWDY what's up  
> I'm quite busy right now with school and work so I'm thinking about updating slightly more frequently with shorter chapters? I'm actually curious as to what everyone would prefer:
> 
> Frequent shorter updates, or longer, more spaced out updates? Seriously let me know!

Qrow wrinkled his nose at the smell. He was no stranger to the stench of dead flesh, but that didn’t make it come across as any less rancid. The figure on the table before him used to be some dude, probably in his thirties, probably missed by a wife and some cute little children, not that they’d probably recognize him. His skin pulled against his bones and his eyes were lifeless with massive pale white cataracts hiding formerly sky blue eyes. 

The man moaned and groaned against the thick, chainlike restraints on the table, hissing through rotten yellow teeth that were falling out right at the gums. He’d already broken through several pairs prior to the current ones, an otherworldly strength powering his decrepit limbs. Oz and Qrow together managed to keep the man at bay. 

“Wanna tell me what exactly I’m looking at here, Oz?” Qrow coughed, wiping away a drizzle of whiskey off of his half shaven beard. He was worried about his niece, but there was hardly anything he could do short of strapping _her_ down to a table. She’d have to figure it out herself. Oz couldn’t wait after all; when the man had something to say, it was generally of the utmost importance. 

“A ‘zombie’, to be blunt. The living dead.” Ozpin said in his ever calm, straight tone of a voice. He resembled a teacher sharing his knowledge with the next generation. In a way, he was. “Glynda and I captured it last night roaming the streets, unfortunately only _after_ it had left a little present for the police to find; a poor homeless man mutilated and masticated. 

“Are you for real?” Qrow scoffed, poking the forehead of the ‘zombie’. It was squishy and a bit of flesh got under his fingernail, making him regret his decision immediately. The table shook against the force of the monster’s movements.

“Yes. We believe we’ve finally found the cause of the missing persons.” 

Qrow looked at Ozpin, hand resting tightly on the cap of his flask. “You’re sure? It’s these things?”

“Gene Astrid. He was reported missing three weeks ago.” Ozpin began, taking a seat down in the corner as ‘Gene’ continued to flail and moan. Qrow nodded in understanding. They were fighting a necromancer then.

“Raven had nothing to do with it, as we predicted.” 

“You can never be too sure with her.” Qrow mumbled. “So this _is_ the work of your so called, ‘ _queen_ ’, then huh? I was starting to think we were on a wild goose chase.”

“Indeed.” Oz hummed. He looked the same as always. White hair, refined regal attire, and a pair of small glasses that obscured the color of his eyes. He was the de-facto leader of the vampires in Vale, despite many objections to the contrary, and was practically the only reason Yang hadn’t been torn apart by angry, bitter purebloods. He also made very, very, measured defenses around Ruby’s identity as well. Qrow didn’t know what he would do without the man. Raven and Taiyang didn’t feel quite the same way. 

“Then what’s our move? Hunting these things down?” Qrow took another look at the former human, feeling a bit of sorrow well up in his heart knowing that this man had been killed at the whims of some unseen bitch.

“We need to protect the people of the city, or else panic will ensue.” Oz grabbed a cup of coffee off of his desk, the smokey smell of the beverage conflicting heavily with rancid stink of death. The older man was practically addicted to the stuff. 

“I’d like you to investigate the source further. That young woman you were looking into; keep pursuing that line of inquiry. In the meantime, I’ll figure out who to assign to patrol the streets at night. I don’t know how long she’s been planning this but, if ‘Gene’ here is any indication, she’s letting lose our missing persons on the populace.”

Qrow narrowed his eyes. All of a sudden things seemed much more serious than before. Dire.  
“Can I finally put this guy outta his misery now?”

Oz nodded somberly. “We’ve gotten as much information about the situation as we will. Please.”

Qrow walked back over to the living corpse, taking one last look at the clouded eyes before plunging his knife into its forehead. It mumbled and groaned one last time, before its limbs finally stopped protesting against their restraints. 

“Think we can stop ‘her’?” Qrow asked, wiping his knife clean of viscera and pus on a rag. 

“We’ll have to.” Ozpin sighed. He seemed off, to Qrow at least, and that spoke volumes. As long as he’d known Ozpin, the old man had never quite taken anything as seriously as the current events. 

“Do you think you could convince your sister to rejoin us?” Oz asked, sipping from his cup of coffee.

“Fat chance. Raven wouldn’t even help Yang with that kid’s murder. Schnee even took her in. She could have gotten killed Oz.”

“Regardless, her help would be invaluable. She… has her reasons, Qrow.”

“Yeah, shitty reasons. She only cares about herself.” Qrow huffed. Ozpin gave him one of those knowing looks that made Qrow feel like a screaming child again. 

“Did you figure out who killed that kid by the way? Winchester?”

“We’re actually not sure.” Ozpin sounded disappointed. “There seems to be no relation to the queen. We don’t have much time to worry about it unfortunately. This matter takes precedence.”

Qrow grumbled under his breath. Yang certainly wouldn’t feel that way.

\-----

The rumbling from the door made Blake freeze in place. Her hand quickly darted back from the handle on the old metal door, the banging sound echoing out through the entire warehouse.

 _Is this a nightmare?_ Blake’s mind raced. She hardly felt like she was even in her body anymore. 

“What the hell?” She heard Yang say, followed by shuffling footsteps against the cement ground. 

“That’s weird,” Ruby began, following after her sister. She stood next to Blake, examining the metal fixture. “I-it’s not just the wind right?” 

“I don’t think so.” Yang mumbled. The girl seemed deathly serious. “Ruby, Blake, get away from the door.” 

Blake could feel the pounding on the door grow more intense. Rusted screws groaned against the weight of the force. Ruby fell back from the door on her sister’s wishes, though Blake remained behind, golden eyes afraid of the door before her and the monster behind her. Both her options seemed subpar. The pounding grew more intense, louder, as the screws came loose from their old homes. 

“Blake, seriously move!” Yang yelled, groaning in pain from overexertion. 

“O-ok.” Blake shuffled backwards, closer to Ruby and Yang, still keeping her eye on the door. 

Metal gave way with a horrid screech as the door was breached, the massive steel slab crashing down onto the ground like booming thunder. The girls shrieked in surprise, Blake covering her faunus ears in pain from the massive noise. It was so damn _loud_ , the sound coursed through her brain like an earthquake through rock. She closed her eyes from the pain, trying to force away the sensation. 

“-ke look-” 

Her eyes opened a second too late, arms flying up to try and push back against the person hurtling towards her. Cold arms pushed her to the ground and her back screamed in protest as it was shoved against the hard concrete earth. The fishy air grew more fetid and thick, smelling like a dead animal. She kicked violently at the figure, the mass rolling off of her with a sickening sound. 

Blake scrambled to her feet and retreated backwards, eyes open wide as she got a closer look at the person who attacked her, if it could even be called a person. The woman looked horrible, sickly…. dead. Her eyes bulged out of her skull and her flesh was grey and pocked full of holes. 

“W-what’s wrong with her?” Ruby cried, normally cheerful face full of fear. Yang stared it down, purple eyes shifting into that ever tantalizing red. 

“Good question,” Blake tried to catch her breath, taking in gulps of frigid winter air that made her break out in shivers. Yang suddenly ran forward, letting out a grunt of pain and a battle cry as she charged at the figure, tackling it to the ground. The person hit the ground with a sickening, slightly wet thud. Blake winced at the sound. 

“Yang, what are you doing?!” Ruby yelled. 

“They're not human!” Yang hollered back, eyes flaring red as she raised her fist and plowed it into the ‘person’s’ jaw. A horrible crunch rang out through the warehouse, making Ruby and Blake let out shouts of disgust, as the creature’s jaw flew off its face from the force of Yang’s attack. It moaned loudly, an otherworldly sort of howl, and lurched with a surprising amount of force back up at Yang, knocking the girl off its chest and onto the floor.

“Shit!” She hissed and grabbed her abdomen, blood leaking out of a now reopened wound. The monster rose back to its feet and roared, blood and gore dropping out from where its jaw used to be, revealing a rotten set of front teeth that still managed to stay attached to the upper skull. Blake wanted to vomit. Maybe she would later. 

It grasped at Yang, moving quickly on a decaying pair of legs. Blake acted fast, grabbing a broken metal pole off of the ground. Her flight or fight response kicked into overdrive, the near forgotten feeling of adrenaline shooting through her veins. 

“Get away from her!” She cried, swinging the metal like a baseball bat as hard as she could into the monster's skull. The force twisted the creature’s head around and knocked it back to the ground. Blake moved forward to finish it off, smacking the monster’s head repeatedly with the pole. Her vision felt blurry as she struck out at the creature, making it seem as though it had a spiked red mop of hair and horns. Of course, after the fifth or sixth strike there was little left except a gory splatter of teeth, brain matter, and eyeballs. 

She breathed heavily, shoulders heaving up and down in circular motion. Yang slowly came to her feet, eyes wide with shock as she looked upon Blake. Ruby came up as well and gently took the pipe out of Blake’s hands, the faunus gladly letting go of the metal weapon. 

“Jesus Blake.” Yang finally said, coughing slightly into her arm. “Nice swing ya’ got there.” 

“Yeah! That was uh, awesome?” Ruby smiled. “Thanks for saving my sister.” 

A response wasn’t coming to Blake. Everything had happened all so quickly. The person that attacked them was… mad, sick perhaps. There wasn’t any way to tell now though. In her panic, she’d absolutely turned their head into a pulp. 

“What were they?” She finally said, quietly. “You said they weren’t-”

“Human.” Yang finished, crouching down by the blood splattered with a wrinkle of her nose. 

“... They were already dead when they came in.” The blond mumbled, prodding the body with her finger. 

“You could tell?” Ruby asked, crouching down as well. Blake was astounded with how casually the two seemed to be taking the situation. Neither of the girls were normal, that much was obvious, but what had they experienced that made this situation seem so casual. 

“Yeah. You couldn’t?” 

“They felt off but I wasn’t sure…”

Blake approached the two. “Are you saying this thing was a… zombie?” 

The word sounded crazy and unbelievable coming out of her mouth. Zombies weren't real. They were a myth supposed to scare children about life outside the city, outside the wall. Vampires weren’t supposed to be real either though, she remembered, looking 

“Yeah, I guess so.” Yang shrugged. “This- stuff like shouldn’t be in the city.”  
She looked at her sister, eyes serious and expression grave. 

“We should find uncle Qrow.” 

“Yeah, he’ll know what to do!” 

“Can you two tell me what the hell is going on!?” Blake lost her temper and shouted, feeling weak and small in the face of Yang and Ruby. The two sisters paused and looked at each other, faces searching for answers themselves, before turning back to Blake. 

“Uh, do you want the long version or the short version?” Yang chuckled weakly as Ruby shrugged awkwardly. 

\-----

“They got away?”

Winter’s voice was stern and her disappointment was clear. Weiss felt the weakest she had in ages. 

“Yes. Ruby Rose-”

“Is a witch.” Her older sister finished her sentence. “I apologize Weiss; intel hadn’t discovered that Ruby Rose had the potential to be an obstruction in the pursuit of Xiao Long.”

Winter looked at her sadly, a look that Weiss hated. She didn’t want to be pitied by her sister; she wanted to make her _proud_. She wanted Winter to smile at her and praise her, but instead she had failed. Again. 

The police station felt cold and empty so late in the night. It had passed 3am recently and few were present, save for the sparse night crew and a few custodians. The smell of linoleum was overwhelming. 

“I’ll leave soon to look for them myself.” Winter stood up from her desk and approached the window. The moon was high in the night sky, bright white and terrifying. Winter’s icy blue eyes stared at the orb, fingers rapping on the sill of the window. 

“Can I come with you?” Weiss asked quietly. 

“Weiss you know your powers aren’t…”

“They never will be if I can’t practice Winter.” 

Ah, there it was. Winter’s smile. 

“Alright Weiss. We’ll go together.” 

Weiss opened her mouth to speak further when the gruff, angry roar of Ghira Belladonna echoed throughout the police station. 

“I need a group of officers now! We have an urgent missing persons case.” 

“Detective Belladonna,” a suddenly small looking officer began, standing before the massive lion faunus. “What’s the problem-”

“My daughter is missing!” He shouted, a hush falling over the station. Winter glanced at Weiss with a knowing look. 

“Xiao Long?” Weiss asked, waiting for a confirmation to a question she was already certain of. 

“Perhaps.” Winter hummed. Ghira slammed open the door to Winter’s temporary office, catlike eyes boring into the two women.

“Schnee-”

“We heard you detective.” Winter said calmly. Weiss wish she had even an ounce of her sister’s calm, collected attitude. “My sister and I are going to go look for your daughter. Rest assured, we will find her.” 

“And just where do you think she is?” 

“We believe she may have been kidnapped. However, I don’t think there is any reason to believe she is in a life threatening-”

“What!?” Ghira’s roar was so loud Weiss felt the sound echo through her bones. 

“Detective.” Winter said firmly. “We will find your daughter. Rest assured.”


	9. Positive Contact

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some nsfw stuff this chapter, just a heads up!

_“What is it?” She chuckled, feeling him plop down next to her on the beach. Her toes felt warm in the sand, baked by Menagerie’s sunny weather. The breeze coming off the ocean felt amazing, the faint taste of salt residing on the tip of her tongue. It spoke of home and innocence. She was happy._

_“Hm, nothing.” He responded, the sun making his red hair and eyes sparkle. Blake thought about how she might love this man. That frightened her._

_“Are you really going to Vale next week?” She asked, smile fading at the corners._

_“It's just for a month. And you know how important it is.” He stroked her hair and she leaned into his touch._

_“I know. I just can't help but worry. The protest last week was-”_

_“Hey, I'll be ok. Don't worry kitten.”_

_“You know I hate it when you call me that.”_

_“Heh, but you make such a cute face!”_

_She chuckled. “Quit it, Adam.”_

\-----

Yang held her breath as she, Ruby, and Blake plopped down into a makeshift circle, the faunus of the group wanting and deserving of an answer. After the way she trashed that zombie, Yang wanted to hug her, but was about eighty percent sure she'd get decked in the face for trying. That and Blake had an unpleasant amount of gore covering her shirt now. Bleugh. 

“Ok uh, where to begin?” Yang began, groaning slightly as her injury roiled underneath her fingers. Blake and Ruby looked at her, concerned. 

_Goddamn silver bullets._ Yang huffed mentally. 

“So pretty much all that supernatural shit you read about in your books is real. Most of it's kept outside the cities by walls and troops but…” She saw Ruby frown. 

“Things like me still get in.” Yang finished, wanting to get up and give her sister a hug. Ruby hated it when they had to talk shop about Yang being a vampire. 

“And you're seriously a vampire?” Blake asked. Yang wasn't surprised that she was still incredulous at her claims. Learning that a whole secret, dark world lurked under the cover of normal life was devastating. It certainly had been for Yang. For Blake in particular, she’d learned about it all in a rather traumatising way. 

“I sucked your blood didn't I?” Yang shrugged, trying to keep in good humor. 

“Touché.” Blake touched her neck gingerly and Yang had to fight the urge to lick her lips. She was still hungry, but at least she wasn't a brainless monster anymore. The faunus moved a bit farther away from her and Yang couldn’t blame her in the slightest. The fact that she was even willing to talk with her was a miracle in and of itself. 

“And you’re....” Blake turned to Ruby, eyebrow raised. 

“Most people call me a witch.” Ruby responded. “I can do... _things_ other people can’t.”

“She’s basically a superhero.” Yang added with a smile. She could have sworn she even saw the corners of Blake’s mouth twitch upward slightly at the comment. Ruby flushed in embarrassment. 

“Yang!” 

“It’s true!” 

The exchange just seemed to make Blake seem even more tired. She had bags under her golden eyes and they seemed unfocused, much in the way an exhausted sleep deprived girl usually appeared.

“But honestly, Blake,” Yang began, “look, you don’t ever have to see me again. When you go home, I’m gone. The police want me, but if they ask you anything about Ruby-”

“Yang please don’t-” Ruby tried to interject.

“Please vouch for her. I’m the one that hurt you, not her.” 

Blake was stuck staring at a pair of determined lilac eyes, their owner serious and candid, despite the blood staining her clothes and the zombie guts on her fist. Ruby was quiet, seemingly in thought and unable to formulate a response. 

“You really didn’t kill Cardin?” Blake asked, voice quiet and weak. The truth. Wanting to know that was what had gotten her into this mess in the first place. 

“No. I didn’t.” Yang responded. “I’ve never killed anyone.” 

“Then who did?” 

“I don’t know. A vampire probably.” 

“Why did you attack me?” Her neck throbbed. Yang winced, looking guilty as she averted her eyes from Blake. She looked so human. How could she be a vampire? 

“The police were watching me, I couldn’t-” 

“You couldn’t feed like normal.” Ruby finished, the younger girl finally speaking up again. In a way, she looked just as confused as Blake did. Were these two even on the same page? 

“That’s why you were acting so sick last week.” Ruby looked like she was close to crying. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have-”

“No, Ruby.” Yang’s tone was surprisingly aggressive and firm. “Never again.”  
The younger girl fell silent again after that, though Blake could practically feel her frustration. 

“By feed I assume you mean,” Blake paused, “... sucking people’s blood.” 

Yang nodded somberly. “When a vampire doesn’t feed they can go a little crazy. Like a starving animal I guess. I shouldn’t have agreed to spend time with you, I should have known I’d-”

“You did seem pretty sick.” Blake almost put a hand to her face before remembering how gross she was. Her desire for a shower and a clean pair of clothes had easily exceeded one hundred percent. 

“Blake, I'm so sorry.” Yang's eyes started to glisten with tears. Ruby’s seemed close to flooding her eyes as well. 

“What will they do if they catch you?” Blake asked as she stood up. The two girls looked at her, confused. 

“No idea. Probably nothing good.” Yang responded quietly. 

Even if the two girls were monsters, Blake wasn't sure she wanted either of them to go to prison or be killed, especially if Yang was telling the truth about Cardin. She was still so… human. She felt guilt and sadness and she had been so warm that night at the bar. How was it possible this girl was also some sort of evil creature? It didn't seem to add up, not to mention how plain innocent and genuine Ruby seemed. 

“I think I'm gonna go home.” Blake rubbed her shoulders slowly. “But uh… what if there's more of those things out there?”

“I mean you took care of that one pretty awesomely.” Yang rubbed her eyes and tried to smile. 

“Look I'm trying to tell you to come with me.” Blake huffed. She hadn't wanted to say it outright. “I can get you two a change of clothes and-”

“What?” Yang was incredulous. 

“Would you really do that?” Ruby beamed. 

“We can't go with you.” Yang scoffed. 

“We can't go home either, Yang.” Ruby spoke up this time. Blake was surprised to see the young girl admonish her sister. “Plus you could really use a change of clothes.”

Blake nodded. “You look like shit. We can sneak into my room through the back. It’s on the second floor.”

“You can't be serious. It's not safe for you-”

“Look.” Blake said sharply, cutting the other two off. “I don't… really know what's going on. I'm still half convinced I'm dreaming but-”

She bit her lip and looked at Yang, trying to find answers in the other girl. 

“I don't think you're evil. I don't think you deserve to get captured for something you didn't do so… just, come with me.”

The two siblings were silent, though Blake felt as though she were being choked by the tension. Ruby looked expectantly towards her sister, her own answer already obvious. 

Yang swallowed visibly. “Ok. Just for a change of clothes.”

\-----

Weiss followed Winter dutifully through the city. Her senses were alight and the sheer feeling of speed felt freeing and glorious against her fur. The moon was high in the sky, invigorating and entrancing. 

Even though they were supposed to be the same, Winter was so much faster than her, so much more in control of her faculties and powers. Weiss knew she was slowing down occasionally to let her catch up. 

It was late in the evening, hardly any souls except for drunk revelers and the homeless pursuing the streets. Still, Winter liked to be careful. They moved by rooftop, animal like forms easily propelling them across the gaps and falls. Weiss tried to follow the mental map of Vale she had memorized when they first were called to the city, keeping track of where they were and were headed. 

Winter stopped suddenly on a high rise, blue eyes wide. Weiss prowled up next to her, eyes locked on the same location as her sister. It was detective Belladonna’s house. 

\-----

“Ruby your foot is on my face!” Yang sputtered with a cry before getting another face full of Ruby’s boots. 

“Look, not all of us are stupid tall like you!”  
Ruby shot back, finally managing to grab onto Blake’s hand through the window. 

“Are you two trying to wake my parents up?” Blake hissed, admonishing the two sisters. Ruby and Yang whispered quick apologies, not that apologies were going to stop her parents from being furious with her. She had broken her curfew and then some and her father’s police car was missing from the driveway. For all she knew he was looking for her. Pains of guilt through her heart. 

“Sorry Blakey.” Yang scratched the back of her head sheepishly as Ruby finished tumbling in. 

“Blakey?” The faunus snorted in response. 

“Yeah. Blakey!” The blond crouched and jumped up surprisingly high to reach the rim of the window, before being pulled in by Ruby and Blake. 

Yang was taken aback by how… cute the room was. The walls were a lovely shade of lavender with an assortment of black and white furniture. A little cast iron tea set rested on the middle of an extremely well stocked bookshelf, surrounded by well loved tomes and novels, meticulously ordered by author. There was even a playful string of Christmas lights strung up around Blake’s bed frame, making the whole room seem a little warmer. 

“W-what?” Blake stammered, cheeks flashing red. 

“Nothing it's just so _cute._ ” Yang couldn't help but smile. It was a bummer they were probably gonna get zombie guts on everything. 

“You have so many books!” Ruby beamed, gleaning over Blake’s collection. 

“Wait, did you write some of these?” Her sister pointed to a set of roughly bound manuscripts. 

“Don't look at those!” Blake practically shrieked, covering her mouth immediately after realizing how loud she had been. 

“Blake, is that you!?” A concerned sounding voice sounded from the bottom floor of the house. 

“Oh fuck me.” Blake groaned, before shoving Ruby and Yang towards the closest. Had the situation been less preempted by murder and monsters, Yang would have gladly tried to take Blake up on that offer. Even as roughed up as she was, the faunus was really, really damn hot. Bonus points for saving her from a brain dead zombie of course. 

“Get in!” Ruby and Yang wordlessly hustled into the closet, smothered by hanging sweaters and jackets. Blake closed the door on them just in time for the sound of the bedroom door opening. 

“Oh my god Blake! Where have you been? We’ve been so worried!”

“H-hey mom. I'm sorry I didn't call, my phone got busted.” 

“It's ok but- what are you covered in? Oh god you look terrible!”

Oh. Right. The whole zombie thing. Blake tried to come up with an excuse. For once in her life she wished she had Neptune’s penchant for tall tales.

“It's uh… vomit.”

“Oh Blake, were you drinking?” Her mother’s concern absolutely broke her heart. She wanted nothing more than to tell her the truth. At the very least, the smell probably covered up any indication of other persons in her room from her mother’s keen faunus senses. Her nose kept twitching in defiance. 

“I-it's not mine. I had to make sure a friend got home ok and-”

“Was it that girl you said you were hanging out with?” A thud came from the closet, making Blake’s heart rate shoot through the roof and into outer space. Her mom either didn't notice or didn't care. 

“No! It was-”

“Look, it's ok honey.” Her mother drew her into an embrace, despite the wretched state of her clothing. 

“I'm just glad you're safe.” How her mother could be so loving and understanding was beyond her. 

“I'll let your father know. You should get cleaned up though.” Her mother wrinkled her nose once again. “Also, Blake?”

“Yeah?”

Her mom’s eye darted over to the closet. “You know we don’t care if you like wome-”

“Mom!”  
Her face turned ruby red. 

“I’m just teasing dear. I’ll let you get cleaned up. Fair warning though, your father is going to be… well, you know.”

“I know mom. Thanks.”

Her mom left the her bedroom, closing the door behind her. Blake immediately opened the door to her bathroom and turned the shower on, hoping the sound would help keep her conversation with Ruby and Yang muffled. The water needed time to heat up in the winter anyways. She went back to the closet and opened the door to find Ruby and Yang tangled up in a pile of clothes like a bunch of children. 

“Your mom sure is interested in your sex life.” Yang said, face just as red as Blake’s. Ruby rolled her eyes with an exasperated groan. 

“Shut up.” Blake sighed, the situation causing a headache to bubble up under her skull. “Get in the bathroom.”

“Aren’t you gonna buy me dinner firs-”

“Yang, I _swear to god._ ” 

Ruby snorted. 

The three huddled into the bathroom, finding that there wasn’t really enough space in a restroom meant for maybe two at the most. Steam fogged up the mirrors and felt amazing on Blake’s cold skin. She wanted to strip and throw herself into the shower and stay there for the next ten hours. Unfortunately, she needed Ruby and Yang out of there first. 

“You two get cleaned up. I’ll find some clothes ok?” 

Blake looked Ruby over. “Do you need some? You didn’t actually get covered in, uh-”

“Brains.” Ruby finished. “I’m ok actually, but I wanted to look at Yang’s injury again.” 

“Ruby Rose, army medic.” Yang teased, ruffling her sister’s hair. She hated to admit it, but the two girls made her wish she wasn’t an only child. 

“I’ve got some first aid stuff.” Blake opened up her medicine cabinet. She wasn’t sure if conventional medicine would work on a vampire, but Yang seemed close enough to a human that-

“Jesus christ! Fuck!” Blake wasn’t ready to see Yang completely topless behind her. Ruby was checking out her wound but Blake was a bit more distracted by the blond’s _sizeable_ assets held back by nothing more than a strapless bra. Her abs were really something too; chiseled looking and strong, and if it weren’t for the bloody wound on Yang’s side she really would have wanted to… 

“Whoops.” Yang shrugged, getting another massive eye roll from Ruby. Blake felt mortified, but how was she _not_ supposed to have a reaction to that? Her skin felt hot and her throat went dry. 

“Blake, can you hand me that antiseptic?” Ruby asked, straight faced and annoyed by her sister’s overt flirting. 

“Uh. Yeah. Yep. Here you go.” Blake mentally slapped herself as she handed Ruby the liquid and a paper towel. Yang hissed in pain as Ruby dabbed the side’s of her sister’s injury with the antiseptic, the towel soaking up blood, old and new, revealing the extent of the bullet wound in Yang’s side. It looked like the two had already remove the bullet earlier, oddly shaped scarring on the edges of the wound evidencing a haphazard, clumsy job. Blake was surprised Yang was still standing; maybe it had something to do with being a vampire? All her books that ever featured the creatures usually imparted superhuman strength to them; after all, predators were almost always stronger than their prey. 

“Geez Yang, it really looks painful.” Ruby said quietly. “If I knew more magic maybe I could help you more.”

“It’s ok Rubes.” Yang smiled broadly, though judging by the sweat dripping down her brow, she was genuinely in quite a bit of pain.

She looked over at the running water in the shower. “Would you guys mind if I…”

“Go ahead.” Blake responded a little too quickly, eager for an excuse to stop looking at Yang’s topless form. She wanted the aching she was starting to feel below the belt to go away. “We’ll wait in my room.” 

Yang watched as the two girls left before taking off the rest of her clothing. She felt just as bad as she looked and practically passed out in the shower from how good the water felt against her skin. She pressed her forehead against the tile walls and let the water wash away grime and gore. 

As pleasant as the shower felt, it gave her an unpleasantly large amount of time to think; think about how her life had been thrown upside down once again despite so many years of being careful and quiet. She’d hurt people once again. There was no way she could make it up to Ruby or Blake and she didn’t even want to know how Qrow and her father would react. 

She wanted someone to blame. Raven’s name came to the forefront of her mind, but could she really blame her estranged mother for this? It was her own stupid pride she had to blame this time. If she had fed off Ruby like Qrow had said, none of this would have ever happened. They’d all still be in school and maybe she’d even have a chance to live a normal life, but the thought of biting Ruby made her sick to her stomach and nearly made her throw up. It made her acutely aware of how hungry she still was. Blake was there, right outside the bathroom, beautiful and full of blood. In just a few gulps she’d made Yang an addict. 

“Dammit.” She whispered under her breath. Her tears felt cold compared to the warmth of the shower. 

\----- 

“I guess I should have known something was up when you told me your sister was into biting.” Blake said after a moment of silence between the two girls. She was sitting on her bed, hair pulled back in a temporary pony tail. 

Ruby chuckled awkwardly from Blake’s desk, remembering her chance encounter with the faunus the other day. “I mean, I wasn’t lying!” 

She was glad Blake seemed to be in slightly better spirits, relaxed enough to have pulled a book off the shelf to read for a few minutes before engaging Ruby. Ruby herself felt extremely awkward and morally, quite terrible. She’d have to find someway to make this all up to Blake later. 

“You certainly weren’t.” Blake responded, eyes drifting towards the window. It had started snowing again, little tiny flakes building up on the windowsill. 

“Have you always known? About your sister I mean?” Blake pulled her legs up to her chest, bed sheets rustling beneath her. 

“Neither of us knew for a while.” Ruby’s memories threatened to come flooding back all at once. Everyone's’ life had changed when they found out Yang had indeed inherited vampirism from her mother; a mother that neither Yang nor Ruby had ever known about before then. 

“She’s not a full blooded vampire actually.” Ruby said, misdirecting the conversation slightly. “She’s a halfblood.”

“Like a… daywalker?” Blake glanced over briefly at her bookshelf. 

“Yeah!” Ruby smiled. 

“Was she always planning on,” Blake paused and gestured at her neck, “y’know.”

“I don’t know honestly. Sometimes she does stuff I don’t understand.” Ruby felt her smile fade. “I know she gets lonely a lot though. She acts tough a lot but-”

The bathroom door opened slightly, steam escaping from the open gap. 

“Hey uh, Blakey, some clothes would be pretty great right about now, if you’re still offering.” Yang’s voice came through the crack. Ruby was eternally grateful she hadn’t just paraded out in a towel; something that she wouldn’t have entirely put past her sister. 

“Oh, one second.” Blake hopped off her bed and grabbed a pile of clothes she’d gathered earlier for Yang, pushing them through the crack of the door with a blush. 

_Geez._ Ruby was going to set a new record for rolling her eyes. She was well aware of the effect her sister had on those _interested_ folk. Most of it was just her natural good looks; part of it was that ever so subtle air vampires had about them, like a fly trap that tantalized its prey. Qrow called it a glamour. 

Yang appeared once again, dressed in Blake’s clothing, a cute denim top and some black jeans.  
“Your turn!” The blond said cheerfully, gesturing towards the bathroom. She’d left the shower running as to arouse slightly less suspicion from Blake’s mother, though the astute woman seemed to already know that there was at least one other person with Blake. 

Blake sighed and looked at the two sisters. “Just stay quiet, okay? I’ll figure out where you two can go when I’m done.” 

“Are you sure? We can leave now if you want. We don’t want you to get in trouble.” Ruby said, sitting backwards in Blake’s desk chair. 

Blake shook her head. “I’d rather know exactly what you two are planning.”

“Fair enough.” 

Blake headed into the bathroom, shutting the door and locking it behind her. She let down her hair and took off her stained clothes, throwing them haphazardly into the corner of the room. The hot water felt incredible, heat coursing through her aching muscles and washing away the, dirt, blood, and gore that had accumulated on her from the course of one unfortunate evening. It was beyond her how Yang and Ruby somehow ended up in her home, waiting for her as she cleaned and composed herself. 

It was laughable really. It was like a high schooler bringing in their secret lover against their parents wishes, though the truth was far, far stranger and far darker. The mystery of Cardin’s death had ultimately revealed to her a world that she once knew to be fake. She grabbed her bar of soap, aggressively rubbing it into her skin as though it would wipe away the night itself. It brushed over scars on her arms, chest, and back, and she forced back the memory of receiving them. They were small and faded now, years having passed since she received them. 

She rubbed her fingers for what felt like the hundredth time across the bite mark Yang had left on her neck and shivered, despite the warmth of the shower. She felt _thirsty_ , for lack of a better term. Her body ached aside from her tired muscles and the image of Yang standing there, half naked, looking at her with those beautiful purple eyes made her feel weak at the knees. 

She felt ashamed of herself, feeling the way she did about someone like Yang, a mysterious daywalker that had somehow forever changed Blake’s life. Her body and her mind refused to cooperate. She felt like she was making the same mistakes from her past. 

_She’s not him though._ She told herself, pressing her back against the wet tiles of the shower. She wasn’t him. She didn’t act like him. 

Blake leaned forward in the shower, her black hair sticking to her skin as a hand tentatively slid down her front. Her other arm palmed the tiles of the shower as she let in a sharp breath, her hand reaching a pair of slick folds. She stroked her fingers against herself, rubbing back and forth against her swollen sex. She bit her lip hard as she stifled a moan, pressing her thumb against her clit. 

It felt incredible and was all too necessary of a release after the day she’d had. Her hips bucked into her hand, silently demanding more and more from her. She thought about Yang as she continued to pleasure herself, wishing ever so much that it was the blond biting her lip and pressing against her. A gasp escaped her lips as a finger slid inside her, feeling warm and tight as she continued to rub her thumb against her clit in wide circles, body and mind pleasantly overwhelmed by the pleasure flooding out from her core. 

Her motions grew in intensity, each drop of water falling against her in the shower landing against her hypersensitive skin. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, the taste of copper soaking into her in between intense, labored breaths. The blond’s name was on her lips as she finally came, muscles rocking from pleasure and relief as she held herself, riding out her climax.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY how are you I hope your life is going great
> 
> I think I'm going to try, emphasis on try, to update consistently every Friday  
> ALSO if you haven't' already seen this fucking incredible art by Lillylux then you are missing out it's incredible and i've stared at it for 500 hours and i forgot to link it last chapter like A FOOL,
> 
> http://lillylux.tumblr.com/post/164979967619/ive-gone-gay-for-bee-vampires-inspired-by


	10. This Place is a Prison

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOWDY, happy Friday! Hope the week wasn't too shitty on you  
> Volume 5 is coming out in about a month and i'm s t o k e d 
> 
> Some NSFW stuff this chapter, if you'd rather pass it by just skip through the flashback at the beginning

_Yang slid her fingers inside the girl, a beautiful, long haired college student who just wanted a night of drunk fun. Perfect for Yang. She moaned at the gesture, back arching up from against the couch as Yang started to pump her fingers back and forth slowly in her sex, feeling oh so warm and ever so tight. Her body clenched down firmly on her fingers, wet and slick from pleasure._

_Yang moved forward and bit the girl’s neck, gently at first, the girl pressing Yang’s mouth against her neck harder as she ran her fingers through her long mop of blond hair, like electricity running through a conduit. Blood trickled into Yang’s mouth, making her grow warmer and even more aroused. The taste was amazing. She wanted more. So much more._

_“Oh god,” The girl moaned, squeezing against Yang’s fingers as she continued to move inside of her partner._

_“I want you to beg for more.” Yang whispered in her ear, teeth biting at the soft flesh._

_“Fuck me,” She panted, breaths coming in gulps, sweat dripping down her brow and her neck, down her breasts and towards the rest of her flesh. Yang obliged, speeding up the movement of her fingers, the girl’s slick sex gladly accepting the increased pace. The blond moved downwards, kissing the girl from her bellybutton down to her folds, before taking a long, slow lick at the girl’s clit, receiving a shriek of pleasure in return. That was what really set Yang off. Those needy, breathy, begging groans of pleasure and want._

_She wanted to feel wanted after all._

_Yang pressed a hand against the hem of her pants, her own body also begging for release and stimulation as she continued to eat her partner out. Moans rocked through both of their bodies like a weird, dissonant fugue._

_\-----_

_Qrow really wished he hadn’t been sent out to find his niece. He understood Tai’s concerns, perfectly justified concerns, but had had about enough of the two refusing to try and patch things up. If he really wanted Yang to come home, if he really wanted things to return to ‘normal’ he would have to come to Vale himself, not try to keep sending Qrow to interrupt the girl’s drunken benders._

_Junior’s had a few ‘private’ rooms that could be booked. Yang liked to spend time there. He went up to the second floor where the rooms were, a series of muffled moans directing him to Yang’s location. She’d become overly indulgent as a way to deal with her pain. Drugs, drinking, sex… an ultimately futile attempt to overcome her suffering. Qrow had seen plenty of people go down the same path. It was a short term solution._

_Should he just barge through the door? Might as well let her finish up and save her partner the embarrassment of having some middle aged weirdo see her naked. He headed back downstairs to have Junior fill his flask back up. He wasn’t nearly drunk enough to deal with this shit, not that he ever really was._

_\-----_

_Her tongue felt amazing. It blocked out her other senses as the girl buried her head between her legs, like a hungry, starved animal desperate for more. Yang focused on the warm, wet feeling, and the tingling of her skin from too much and not enough alcohol. She grabbed the girl’s head and pressed it harder against her, the girl gladly accepting the motion and increasing the speed of her actions and the feeling of her moans against her clit sent Yang into ecstasy. Far, far away from the real world._

_She wanted to be farther still._

\-----

She’d dozed off. Yang’s eyes slowly blinked open as Ruby jostled her shoulder, waking her from her dreams and memories. They were still in Blake’s room, the first beams of sunlight beginning to pierce through the window. 

_Shit, just had to dream about that huh?_ Yang rubbed her eyes and put on a smile like clockwork. 

Ruby and Blake were next to her, Ruby happy she’d woken her sister from her slumber and Blake looking as standoffish as always. Tension laced the room with an invisible thread. 

“What’s up?” She asked with a yawn, clueless as to how long she’d been out. 

“You slept for a couple hours.” Ruby explained, gesturing to the analog clock that rested on Blake’s wall. “It’s almost morning.” 

“Crap, sorry, you guys should have woken me up earlier-”

“We figured with your injury you could use the rest.” Blake chimed in. The two girls looked rather concerned, but her injury did feel a lot better. Apparently rest had served her better than anticipated. “It’s not a big deal.” 

“We have to go though-”

“Uh, about that.” Ruby cut Yang off, looking sheepish and concerned. She played with her fingers as she hummed lightly, trying to think of what to say next. “The um, police are here?”

Yang’s eyes shot over to Blake, who looked equally as awkward as Ruby did. 

“I didn’t tell them!” Blake said, brow turned into an angry grimace, defying Yang’s first thought. “They just… showed up.” 

The faunus looked over at Ruby, concerned, before glancing back at Yang. 

“They knew you were here, Yang. The woman who interviewed us.” Blake continued. 

“And Weiss.” Ruby spoke sadly. Wasn’t Weiss that uppity chick from the party? It seemed like an eternity ago; a much simpler time when Yang was primarily concerned with school and getting a hook up. 

“Could this shit get any worse?” Yang spat, rubbing the back of her head and cracking her neck. Sleeping propped up against a dresser wasn’t the most ergonomic of positions. Her spine felt like a slinky that had been welded shut. 

“At least it’s kept me from my dad from chewing me out.” Blake mumbled off handedly, eyes drifting to her bedroom door. 

“They want to talk to us. They said they’d wait till you woke up at least though.” Ruby added, standing up from her crouched position. “Should I go get them? I don’t really think we can sneak out anymore…”

Blake paused for a moment before nodding, the two girls making their decision sans Yang, not that the half awake girl had much to add. Ruby left the room and headed downstairs, leaving Blake and Yang alone in the room, awkward and silent.

“Blake, I’m really sorry.” Yang finally spoke, the voices coming from downstairs muffled and hard to hear. 

“It’s ok.” Blake responded, eyes still on the door. “Shit happens, I guess.”

Yang didn’t know what to say. That was a rather nice way of saying ‘you threw my life completely upside down’. She believed Blake when she said she hadn't called the cops, but even if she had, Yang hardly would have been able to blame her. 

Ruby returned shortly after, followed by two white haired, stern looking bitches. Yang mentally swore as loudly as her brain could muster. This was the very woman Qrow had told her to be careful of: Winter Schnee, vampire hunter extraordinaire, if her uncle was to be believed. Her lil’ sis was in on it too apparently. 

“Hello.” The older of the regal looking sisters began, looking around Blake’s room with the disdain that only some stupid rich person could have. The two women were in pressed white uniforms, similar but different to those of the Vale police department. 

“I believe we’ve all met before?” Winter continued, looking over Blake, Ruby, and Yang.

“Yeah, unfortunately.” Yang scoffed, earning an admonishing glance from Blake and Weiss. 

“Right. Well then,”

Winter looked around as though she was looking for a place to sit, but remained standing. 

“Yang Xiao Long. You’re a vampire correct?” Winter and Weiss bored holes into her with their eyes, icy glares making Yang feel like she couldn’t hide anything from them. Yang was quiet, not sure whether to just blurt out the answer or not. 

“We could examine Ms. Belladonna’s neck if you’re unwilling to answer-”

“I’m a fucking vampire ok?” Yang’s tone was filled with venom. There was no reason for them to bring Blake into this, or Ruby for that matter. Winter hummed softly, like a cat purring before it claimed its prey. 

“Half breed if we’re being technical.” Yang added a spiteful tag. 

“Good. Then we’re all on the same page.” The woman looked around the room smugly, like a dictator lording over their subjects. 

“We’re not going to arrest you, so you can stop worrying about that.” 

The tension that fell from the three accomplices was practically palpable. Winter and Weiss shared knowing glances. 

“We’d like to enlist you as an… undercover operative of sorts. A CI.”

Yang was shocked. They wanted _her_ , a halfbreed, a daywalker, to be an double agent? What the hell was she supposed to do with that information?

“Did you forget about the part where I said I was a halfbreed? Other vampires don’t want anything to do with me-”

“But you _are_ Qrow Branwen’s niece, are you not?” Winter cut her off. “That in its own right can provide us with plenty of information.”

Her icy eyes rested on Blake and Ruby. “Of course, if you don’t agree we will have take other measures in order to get the information we need.”

“Are threatening them?” Yang hissed, standing up from her position against the dresser. Blake and Ruby glanced over at her. 

“Yang hasn’t done anything wrong.” Blake’s voice chimed in, everyone surprised to see her speak up. “And neither have we. She-”  
She gestured to herself and Ruby. 

“Just by being a vampire Ms. Xiao Long threatens the order of this city,” Winter shot back, looking ever so regal and aggressive. 

“And it is our mission to keep this city safe from the supernatural.” Weiss nodded from behind her sister. 

“However, if she chooses to cooperate with us,” Winter continued with a huff. “Her past transgressions can be pardoned, as can the actions of you two as accomplices.” 

Blake and Ruby were silent. 

“Fine.” Yang finally answered. Did they even have a choice? If they said no they’d all be shuttled off to wherever the fuck prison. She couldn’t do that to Ruby or Blake, let alone herself. 

“Leave them alone though. They don’t know anything.”

“Yang!” Ruby exclaimed, voice reaching an intensity Yang hadn’t seen in years. “Stop trying to do this all by yourself!”

Everyone in the room laid their eyes on Ruby, shocked that such a small body had contained such a loud outburst. 

“I can help you! Blake wanted to help you too and-” She shook her head, shaggy mop of red hair flopping back and forth. “When you just push it aside it - it hurts.” 

Yang’s heart shattered. She thought she’d been protecting Ruby and really, she still felt that. Seeing such startling turn though….

“Ahem.” Winter coughed, bringing the eyes back to her. “If we can continue with our conversation now.” 

Ruby huffed in anger, looking at Weiss for a moment before staring at Blake’s walls. 

“Arrangements will be made for you two as well. Ruby Rose, is it correct for us to assume you would know less about this situation than your sister?”

Ruby tapped her fingers on her arm, a soft sounding coming from the contact against her hoodie. 

“Ms. Belladonna, it's beyond me why you chose to be involved in this mess.” Winter began, icy eyes piercing through Blake’s core. “Certainly after Cardin’s death I expected you to distance yourself from the situation. 

“Arrangements can be made to have you… forget this all happened. My superior has strongly recommended this course of action.”

Yang watched the lump sink in Blake’s throat, practically in tandem with Yang’s heart plummeting in her chest. Ruby opened her mouth to say something, before turning to Blake, seeing if the faunus had anything to say. She was silent. 

“However,” Winter continued. “I won’t force you to do anything. Though I do recommend you take us up on that offer.” Everyone else in the room expressed some quiet form of surprise. 

“... I don’t want to forget.” Blake said quietly, rubbing her upper arm, a tick Yang had begun to notice in the ebony haired faunus. 

“Feel free to change your mind.” Winter finished. “Now, I believe your father wishes to speak with you. Xiao Long, we’ll be in contact. For now, you’re free to head home. Just promise you won’t be an idiot and try to run.”

With a proper practiced turn, Winter nodded at her younger sister and the two glacier like women left the room, Weiss taking one last glance at Ruby before closing the door behind her. 

“... you two should probably go. You don’t want to be here for my dad yelling at me.” Blake’s eyes rested on the floor. 

Yang got up and made her way over to Ruby, taking her little sister’s hand in her own.  
“We’ll see you around, right?” The blond asked, matching gazes with Blake. 

“Not sure. I wouldn’t mind it though.” The faunus responded with a small smile. 

Blake watched as Ruby and Yang left, shutting her door gingerly behind themselves. Muffled voices spoke from downstairs as Blake’s pulse began to quicken again, fear bubbling up in her heart over the thought of confronting her father again. 

She sat on her bed for a good minute, palming the quilted throw that rested on the top as she tried to well up her courage. The night before she’d killed a honest to god zombie, but was now too afraid to confront her father? It seemed ridiculous, but the wrath of Ghira Belladonna was not to be underestimated. 

A knock came from her door, loud but slow, the signature hail of her father. 

“Come in.” She called out, barely preventing her voice from cracking into a high squeak. 

Her father entered the room and immediately scooped her up into his arms, nearly crushing her with the force of his hug. 

“I’m so glad you’re safe.” He squeezed, sounding like he was about to start crying at any minute. Blake dug her hands into his massive back on instinct, sobbing quietly into his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry dad. I’m so sorry.” 

He didn’t respond right away, choosing to instead continue the embrace with his daughter.   
“I promise I’m furious with you.” He laughed, a big, deep bellow. “But I’m just happy you’re ok. We were so worried.”

“I won’t ever scare you like that again.” Blake promised. Seeing the reaction of both her mother and father broke her heart. Vampires and other monsters aside, her family was more important. 

\-----

“Ruby!” The redhead paused as she and her sister were halfway out the door. She turned to find Weiss following after her, Winter still wrapped up in a conversation with Blake’s mom. 

“What is it?” Ruby said, not trying very hard to hide the disappointment and anger in her voice. Weiss stood in front of the two sisters, looking impish in comparison to Yang, but still proud and practiced. 

“I- I wanted to apologize for deceiving you.” Weiss tilted her head forward in apology. “I perhaps acted out of turn.”

“What’s she talking about?” Yang asked, elbowing Ruby gently. 

“She was trying to get info out of me I guess.” Ruby said sadly, turning back to Weiss. “I thought you wanted to be friends. I guess I probably shoulda known better, huh?”

Weiss and Yang were both silent, the white haired girl in particular looking thoroughly uncomfortable.

“If we’re going to continue a professional relationship together, I would ask that you please look over my transgressions.” Weiss continued, recomposing herself. 

“It’s fine. I don’t really care Weiss.” Ruby sighed. “Can we go now? Yang’s still injured.”   
Yang was slightly taken aback by how short Ruby was being with the young officer, not that it was altogether surprising if she had been deceived under the guise of friendship. Ruby had trouble making friends. Having someone lie about it probably stung her good. 

“... of course. I’ll see you both later.” Weiss turned back toward her sister as the two girls finally left the Belladonna household. 

\-----

“What kinda name is Cinder?”

“The kind you shouldn’t complain about. I stuck my neck out to get you this information!”

“Hey, you’re the one that agreed to do it pal.” Qrow grumbled. He hated dealing with the orange haired twat before him, but the slimy punk was the only one who seemed to have reliable information on Ozpin’s ‘Queen’, or whatever. 

“And _you’re_ the one who agreed to keep me safe.” Torchwick, Qrow’s double agent replied. 

“I don’t blame you for getting in over your head.” Qrow continued, looking through the stack of old manilla papers Torchwick had given him. “Looks like they really mean business, huh?”

“Well, once you see your first reanimated corpse, you tend to have a different outlook on life.” 

“No kidding.” 

“Feh.” Torchwick pulled a pocketwatch out from his white jacket, shifty eyes looking over the device. “I have to run anyways. Witches make for terrible slave drivers you know.”

“Hey, keep your head down, alright?” Qrow huffed. “I know you’ve got your body guard or whatever, but that’s not gonna stop a witch.”

“You really think you need to remind me?” Torchwick turned on his heels and marched off, leather shoes and cane tapping against the floor of the bar. They’d met in a crowded place, amongst the din of loud dance music and bellowing drunks where prying ears wouldn’t be able to overhear them. 

He watched as Torchwick and some short girl with heterochromia left the bar, flanked by some chick with green hair. Qrow took a swig of whiskey from his fourth glass and tucked the papers gently into his coat. Ozpin would certainly want to see the new dirt he’d received. 

Someone stalked up to the bar and sat down next to him, silently, like a spectre. 

“Didn’t get enough of me the first time, huh?” Qrow chuckled as his sister tapped her fingers against the bar, the bartender wordlessly pouring her out a drink. 

“I’ve had enough of you for a lifetime brother.” Raven responded dryly, red eyes resting on Qrow’s coat. “Who were they?” 

“Just an informant. Ozpin business; I’m sure you wouldn’t care.” 

“I care when a necromancer is starting to torment the city, and by extension, me.” She scoffed, taking a hearty drink out of her glass tumbler. The woman paused for a moment, red eyes lazily scanning the bar. 

“... I have information.” She finally said. 

“Oh do you now? And what ridiculous shit would you like in return dear sister?” Qrow growled. 

“I’ll take a raincheck.” Raven smiled wickedly. “That kid that was murdered? The one Yang was pinned for,”

Qrow’s eyes widened a bit. 

“The real murderer is involved with your new friends there. I’m surprised you haven’t found him already.” 

“You have a name?”

“Well, it’d be cheating if I just told you who it was.” 

“Why do you have to be this way?” Qrow’s fist tightened and his knuckles turned bright white. 

“Why do you insist on working for the man who got Summer killed?” Raven growled, slamming her fist on the table. “You-”

She took a deep breath and sighed. “Will you keep an eye on her?” 

“Why can’t you?” Qrow responded. 

“I have… something important to take care of.” Without letting Qrow get another word in, she chugged the rest of her drink and left, black silhouette disappearing into the crowd like she’d never been there at all. 

“Fuck off sis.” Qrow grumbled. She hadn’t even paid for her fucking drink this time.


	11. Envy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M NOT DEAD  
> SORRY
> 
> a combination of being really busy and coming down with pneumonia prevented me from knocking chapters out BUT UH HERE'S A NEW ONE ANYWAYS

“Blake! God, we’re so glad you’re ok.”

Sun swept up Blake into a massive hug, practically crushing the girl with the gesture. He may have been goofy, but his physical strength was hardly a joke. The coffee shop they were in was warm and cozy, filled with sweatered students and icy patches near the door where caffeine deprived young adults came in with rosy cheeks and snow covered hair. 

“Thanks Sun.” Blake choked out of the hug, letting out a sigh of relief as best as her lungs would let her when he let go. “I’m sorry I made everyone worry.” 

Ren smiled one of his little knowing smiles and Nora threatened yet another crushing bear hug. Neptune was still in class, but according to Sun had expressed his relief as well. Her father had contacted all of her friends when she didn’t make her curfew, enlisting the college students to help hunt down his missing daughter. Of course, none of them had had thought to look in her own house at three in the morning. 

“What happened anyways? Your dad was seriously panicking.” Nora chirped, taking a sip out of a disturbingly caffeinated eight shot mocha. Ren eyed the drink with a worried glance, as did Blake. Nora had insisted that she deserved it after staying up all night looking for Blake. 

“Uh,” Blake had no idea how to answer that question, despite having planned out several false stories on her way to class that morning. None of them were good and some were just downright terrible. “Just uh, lost track of time at the bar. It was a stupid mistake.”

“Do you need to talk about something?” Ren asked, keeping that calm and cool demeanor he always had. “You don’t usually go hard on the alcohol, Blake.” 

Sun frowned at her, legs crossed in his chair and tail swaying back and forth. She had been dreading this entire conversation the second she woke up in the morning. All she wanted to do was drink her tea and go back to class like normal. 

“He’s right y’know. You can talk to us.” Sun hummed, trying to smile. He was clearly hurt by Blake’s lack of forthcoming. 

“I’m fine guys, really.” Blake sighed, playing with the tea bag in her mug. “Sometimes shit just happens I guess.” 

It was pretty hard not to mention the existence of vampires, witches, and zombies, but she managed to keep her mouth shut. 

“Was it that Yang chick?” Sun asked, getting curious looks from Ren and Nora. Her throat tightened. “I think she’s bad news Blake.”

“I was with her but it wasn’t her fault. She-”

“I’m just worried all this business with Cardin and stuff has been harder on you than you said n’ stuff.” Sun cut her off, scratching the top of his head. 

Blake bit her lip. Her head and her neck ached and she wanted to go back home and crawl under her covers. 

“I’m sorry. I don’t have a good answer for you.” Her eyes drifted over to the entrance, drawn to the opening by the ringing of the bell attached to the door. By some random chance, Weiss Schnee walked into the shop, chin raised until she locked eyes with Blake. 

“Can you guys excuse me for a ‘sec?” 

“Sure.” 

Blake stood up, the screech from her chair backing against the tile making her cringe. She headed towards Weiss, the white haired huntress remaining in the queue for coffee as Blake approached her. 

“Didn't think you'd keep the whole school thing up.” Blake mumbled, standing next to Weiss in the line. 

“Well, I have an agreement with my father that relies on me ‘staying in school.’ The classes are hardly a challenge.” Weiss responded, haughty attitude showing some cracks in it. Blake’s presence seemed to make her uncomfortable, not that it was unexpected. She kept glancing at Blake's cat ears, as though the sight was off putting to her. 

“Why did you help them?” Weiss asked, cutting to the chase. “Xiao Long and Rose.”

“Your sister said it herself,” Blake shrugged. “They were innocent.”

“Hardly.” Weiss scoffed, glancing at Blake's neck. A bruise remained where Yang had bit her. It seemed to feel raw again under Weiss’s discerning gaze. 

“You would have been killed if we hadn't intervened.”

That was true. Yang had attacked her, consciously or not in a blood starved frenzy. 

“She said she couldn't help it.” Blake replied, not entirely sure why she felt the need to defend Yang, whom she wasn't entirely sure she'd ever see again. 

“Does that make it ok? Xiao Long should have known very well what starving herself off blood would do, half-blood or not.” Weiss rolled her eyes. 

That was the third time Blake had heard that term and she still wasn't quite sure what everyone meant by it. Was it as simple as just being _half_ vampire? The rules of this previously unknown world were a mystery to her. 

“She wouldn't have starved herself if you hadn't made her think she was the prime suspect in an investigation she was entirely innocent of.” Blake shot back, surprising the huntress. 

“She's really got you wrapped around her finger, doesn’t she?” Weiss hummed. “You can’t trust how you feel around vampires, especially since you’re…”

She glanced at Blake’s ears again, nose twitching slightly. “... a normal person. Keep that in mind, Blake.”

“Always this hostile to people, or just fanus?” Blake growled, getting irritated by Weiss’s continued glances at her ears, as well as the continued attack on her judgement. 

“I’m _trying_ to look out for you. Stay away from Xiao Long. She will use you and discard you. It’s what they do. My sister and I have seen it before.” The two moved forward in the line, Blake not quite finished with their conversation, despite Weiss’s dismissive attitude. 

“What about that… zombie thing.” Blake continued, dropping the topic of Yang entirely. “If that sort of thing is out there-”

“That, is no longer your concern.” Weiss cut her off. “If I were you, I would have taken my sister up on her offer to alter your memory. You’d do your best to forget about this. We are not going to involve a bystander in this.” 

“I’d hardly call myself a bystander anymore.” 

“Well, you are. Please leave the matter be. If you don’t have anything else to discuss, I’d like to order my coffee in peace, Ms. Belladonna.” 

Any attempt to get information from Weiss had failed. Blake stormed away from the girl back to her friends, faces coated in surprise and confusion. 

“What was that about?” Nora asked. “She seemed bitchy.”

“Nora, that’s impolite.” Ren said quietly. “But yes, she did seem bitchy.” 

“Ugh. It’s nothing.” Blake grumbled. She pulled out her phone and checked the time, looking for an excuse to go fume somewhere by herself. 

“Blake, why don’t we hang out or something tonight?” Sun said, putting on a million dollar smile. “We can just play games or whatever you want. Just a good chill evening.”

Blake smiled in response. She often forgot that she had such good friends to watch out for her. “I’ll let you know later. It does sound nice though. I’m gonna head out, but I promise I’ll text you.”

Sun smiled broadly, as did Nora and Ren. 

“Looking forward to it!”

Blake chose to go someplace quiet after she left. It was too cold to be outside, but not quite frigid enough to keep her from sitting in a nook in the library next to a large circular window. Little frost crystals spotted the edge of the window, each a unique outburst of geometry and ice. 

She pressed her finger against the window and watched as the fog melted away under the heat of her skin, leaving a messy trail marked by her finger behind it. Her mind was a mess of thoughts and ideas, swirling around in a crazy pattern that had little form behind it. 

She wanted to talk to Yang again and hated herself for that desire, finding herself wanting to help the daywalker and learn more about her strange predicament, as well as the underground world that pulsed with mystery while Blake carried on with her daily life. How could she ignore such a thing? It was fascinating, exciting, like one of her books come to life. Suddenly she wasn’t just a regular old faunus trudging along through daily life. Suddenly she wasn’t some abused girl anymore. She’d felt powerful and in control when she defeated the zombie and saved Yang. It was a strange form of agency she hadn’t felt in a long time. 

Of course, even if she wanted to contact Yang, she had no way to do so. The blond’s phone had been busted on that strange night, leaving Blake with no way to message her. 

She sighed and pulled out her phone, sending Sun a message that she did indeed want to hang out that evening. 

_"She will use you and discard you."_ Weiss’s words remained in her mind.

_She’s not like him though. She’s not like Adam._

\-----

“Yaaaang! The pancakes are done!”

“They smell amazing Rubes, thanks!” 

Yang and Ruby sat around the small dining table they shared in their two bedroom apartment, a small, yet incredibly cozy bungalow that Ruby had been continuously decorating for winter ever since it first started snowing. Cheerful, brightly colored lights were strung up all around the apartment in a haphazard fashion that could make even the grumpiest asshole smile. 

The vampire shoved a mouthful of pancake into her mouth, savoring the buttery goodness and sticky syrup. Ruby was quite good at making ‘feel-good food’, her own self given title. 

“Are you feeling better today sis?” Ruby asked through a mouthful of food and a spattering of syrup on her mouth. 

“I think so.” Yang touched her injury gingerly. Any ordinary wound would have healed by now, but an injury caused by silver was anathema to her body. Her abdomen was still swollen and covered by a gross yellow green bruise. 

“It’s not a big deal.” She continued. “I’m sure I’ll be back in action by the end of the week.”

Ruby made a sound akin to a disappointed grumble and continued eating. 

“Have you told Qrow about what’s going on yet?” Her little sister asked, silver eyes curious and bright as always. 

“Ugh. Not a conversation I’m looking forward to.” Yang groaned. “Might put that one off.”

“Well, I'll tell him if you don't.” Ruby shrugged with a devilish grin. 

“I don't even know if we _can_ tell him what happened. I'm still waiting on that detective to contact me. We shouldn’t do anything till they get back to us.” Yang sighed, disappointed that this conversation was cutting into her pancake time. “We’re on real thin ice with them.”

“Are we really gonna listen to those two?” 

“We don’t really have a choice.” Yang pulled out the phone Winter had given to her after they had left Blake’s house. It wasn’t anything special; there were no contacts, no apps, no nothing. They’d have to wait for Winter to call them. 

Everything was all fucked up anyways. She and Ruby were effectively out of school and on their own again. Their father had been paying for their rent after Yang straightened out and Ruby moved in with her, under the condition that it stayed that way of course. He would get wind of this somehow though, seeing as things never went in Yang’s favor. 

She tapped her finger against the kitchen table. Would Winter take care of their housing? Yang supposed she could ask Junior for some busy work around his bar. She needed to make sure Ruby was taken care of. Maybe their dad wouldn’t mind if they explained things to him-

“Yang?”

“Hm?”

“You just looked all deep in thought and stuff. You told me you’d talk to me about this stuff from now on.” Ruby huffed, setting her silverware down. 

“Sorry.” Yang apologized. “Just thinking about getting a part time job and stuff.” 

“What about school?” Ruby frowned. 

“I don’t think I’ll have time for that anymore.” Yang shrugged. “It’ll be ok Ruby, cause you’re right; we’re in this together.”

She stood up, having finished the rest of her delicious breakfast and ruffled Ruby’s hair. Ruby beamed at her. 

“Yeah. Together.”

\-----

Blake and Sun and had gone out to get hot cider near the shore, where a scattering of the young and old watched the sunset over Vale. It was cold, keeping all but the bold and heat averse from enjoying the frigid evening. She ordered drinks for the two of them, offering to wait in the long line while Sun found a place for them to sit. 

The cider slid down her throat and kept her warm, the sugars sticking to her lips. It reminded her of the night she had kissed Yang after the blond had had all those sugary drinks and how she had tasted sweet. 

Flushing slightly, she handed Sun his drink and sat down across from him. 

“Thanks Blake.” 

“No problem.” 

“Nice sunset huh?” Sun asked, monkey tail bobbing back and forth. 

“It is.” Blake hummed, taking another sip of her ever so delicious drink. She was glad she’d decided to hang out with her friend. The sunset was beautiful and made the sky look like it was on fire, even as a lavender cloak was pulled over the world. It was nice. 

“Need to talk Blake?” Sun asked, making Blake let out a sigh. 

“I told you I’m ok Sun.” Blake responded, blowing her bangs out of her eyes lazily. 

“I know. Sorry.” He said sheepishly. “I just couldn’t shake the feeling it was something more I guess.” 

“It’s fine.” Blake punched him lightly in the shoulder. “You’re a good friend Sun.” 

“Y-yeah, about that!” Sun’s face turned a shade redder and his tail curled into a spiral, like it often did when he was nervous. She gave him a curious look. 

“I was thinking, and Neptune kept bugging me to say something, and I’ve been thinking about it for a while and-” He stopped himself mid spiral and tried to compose himself. 

“What is it?” Blake chuckled. 

“Um, do you wanna be my girlfriend?” 

Blake sputtered and choked on her drink, pounding on her chest in an attempt to get her surprise induced cough to go away. Sun just laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head like a kid that had just flooded the kitchen. 

“I-I know it’s really sudden!” Sun stammared. 

“Yeah, you don’t say.” Blake coughed, cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

“But uh, you know there’s never a good time for this sorta thing.” The awkward confession continued. 

“No, there usually isn’t.” She responded, suddenly getting very interested in her shoes. 

“But um, whatdya say? You know I'd treat you well and with things so crazy, I kinda thought it might be helpful or something?”

Blake’s thoughts were already a mess considering the events of the past few days; Sun springing an unexpected confession on her wasn’t helping. She could scarcely put together two words to say to him. 

“I-” Blake tried to begin, fighting to try and find the words. Sun was a good friend; one of the first she’d made when her family moved to Vale and she left Adam. He was loyal to a fault, annoying but charming, stupid but kind, and certainly good looking. 

Had she ever really wanted to date him though? The thought may have crossed her mind once or twice before, but ultimately it seemed strange to like someone who was more like her brother than anything else. 

“Can I think about it?” Was her eventual response, a bit of a copout, she supposed. 

“Yeah! Of course! Th-there’s no pressure you know.” 

“Thanks, Sun. I promise I’ll let you know soon.”

They talked for a bit longer, about school and life and how Blake had gotten that nasty bruise on her neck (a tragic kitchen accident as far as Sun knew, Blake being overwhelmed with joy that it didn’t look like a hickey), and finished their drinks in tandem with the setting sun. 

She walked back home with Sun, happening to pass by Junior’s bar on their way home, where Blake caught a curly mop of blond hair standing outside the entrance. 

_Is that Yang?_ Blake asked herself, though she already knew the answer to her question. The blond wasn’t paying attention, focus buried into what appeared to be a new phone. The faunus had to wonder if her injury had fully healed yet or not; after all, she had gotten _shot_.

When had she gotten a new phone? Would she try to contact Blake? She probably didn’t even have her number anymore, otherwise she surely would have contacted Blake. 

Right? 

“Something wrong Blake?” Sun called from ahead of her. 

_"She will use you and discard you."_

“It’s nothing.” She replied, taking her eyes off Yang. Her mind protested against her, telling her to go speak to the vampire, but she couldn’t, not while Sun was there, and not against her better judgement. 

“Nothing at all.”

\-----

Blake said goodnight to her parents and promptly snuck out the window. She figured it was ok, seeing as she technically had three more hours until her curfew, and if things went well, her parents would be none the wiser. 

She couldn’t get Yang off of her mind after seeing her outside the bar. Her thoughts were flooded with all the questions she wanted to ask her, questions about her vampirism, her sister, and whether or not she still wanted to see her. Hopefully she’d still be there. If not, Blake was wasting an evening freezing her ass off in the cold. 

It was starting to snow again, adding more to the dirty piles that had been pushed off of the streets. There was still a good number of people on the road, late night workers and students bustling about. Junior’s bar had picked up a slightly bigger crowd, but she still caught Yang’s gorgeous hair out of the corner of her eye, standing out front of the bar. 

She walked up to her, pulse quickening and throat going dry as Yang noticed her approaching. 

“Blake?”

“Hey.” 

“What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home?” Yang asked, mouth agape. Blake was surprised that the blond seemed so shocked to see her. 

“It's not technically midnight.” Blake shrugged, shivering slightly in the cold wind. She had put a beanie on to protect her cat ears from the cold, but it was proving to be a less than perfect defense. 

“I think you know that’s not what I mean.” Yang said sadly. “I don’t think you should spend time around me anymore.” 

“Why?” Blake asked, heart pierced as though by a small needle by Yang’s comment. It seemed as though everyone didn’t want her to be involved anymore, despite the fact that she had handled herself perfectly well by blasting a zombie’s brains out. 

“I mean… I think it’s kinda obvious. I’m really happy to see you, I just-” Yang shrugged, eyes trained on the floor. Her fingers nervously tapped against the phone she was holding, a dull, pitchless thud emanating from every touch. 

“I want to be involved.” Blake huffed. 

“This world is crazy dangerous Blake. I don’t want you to-” Yang swallowed. 

“What, get hurt?” Blake scoffed, interrupting Yang once again. “I don’t like it when people make decisions for me. I’m perfectly capable of deciding if this is too dangerous or not.” 

“Blake…” Yang brought her eyes back up to meet the faunus’s. They were that beautiful shade of lilac, like the shade the sky had adopted earlier with the setting of the sun. 

_”She’s really got you wrapped around her finger.”_

_Yeah. She does._

Blake grabbed Yang’s hand somewhat forcefully and led her around to the side of the building where they’d almost had each other all those weeks ago. 

“Blake, what are you doing?” Yang asked, surprised by the girl’s sudden boldness. 

“I can make my own decisions.” Blake repeated. “Like how I want to finish what we started.” 

Yang’s confusion was quickly silenced by Blake’s lips locking back onto hers.


	12. Roses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE
> 
> I'm so sorry about the lack of updates but here's one! Kinda short but hopefully still a good one!

Ruby sat in the bathroom of the coffee shop on a closed toilet seat, bouncing a ball of light back and forth between her hands. It was a small light, silver, with little flecks of gold and it felt warm as it illuminated the dimly lit bathroom. 

It was a single stall where she had some privacy, until the next customer came in to use the facilities. She’d felt the need to be alone after sitting in the coffee shop for a while, watching people come and go and talk about their carefree daily lives. 

Her mother had taught her how to create this light and since then Ruby had always summoned the small beacon when she needed to think. It helped to ground her nerves, which seriously needed grounding considering how batshit the past week had been. She never swore out loud usually, Yang and her father having been staunch defenders of a clean mouth for years (not that Yang often took her own advice).

She sighed as she heard a knock on the door, evidently indicating that she had overstayed her welcome in the woman's restroom. Ruby opened the door and was greeted by a white haired, snooty as hell, stupid mean girl. 

“Ruby?” Weiss stammered, surprised by the redhead’s sudden appearance. “What were you doing in there so long?”

“Oh you know. Bathroom stuff.” Ruby said sarcastically. “See ya.”

She moved to leave but was halted by Weiss grabbing her wrist, face filled with remorse and shame, but also a hint of anger. 

“Are you still angry?” 

“I mean I don’t really care anymore if that’s what you mean.”

“Look, we’re going to be working together from now on thanks to my sister. I won’t force us to be friends but… I would appreciate an end to our hostilities.”

“That’s fine.”

“I’m saying I’ll be nicer.” 

“Wow, don’t strain yourself there.”

Weiss huffed in anger and glared at Ruby, whose silver eyes were teaming with mischief. 

“How is your sister recovering?” Weiss asked, genuine concern breaking through her haughty mask. Ruby was surprised. 

“She’s ok! It’s taking a while for her to heal but she’ll be fine. Nothing can really keep her down for long.” Ruby couldn't’ count the number of times Yang had swung back from near impossible odds. She seemed invincible sometimes. 

“Thanks for asking.” Ruby added quietly. 

“I care about my own sister quite a lot as well.” Weiss tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “So I understand how you must be feeling. I would be…”

Weiss sighed. “I’d be heartbroken, honestly. She means the world to me.”

Ruby smiled softly at Weiss’s comments, thinking that perhaps the girl wasn’t _quite_ as bitchy as she previously thought. 

“You wanna sit down and have coffee together?” Ruby asked, pulling out her wallet, a cute black one with a rose design on it. “I’ll buy.” 

“I’d like that.” Weiss smiled. Ruby appreciated that the girl was trying to make amends, albeit in a way that put Ruby’s own awkwardness to shame. 

“You want that fancy little cheeto thing right?”

“Fancy little- it’s called a macchiato!” 

Ruby laughed at Weiss’s indignant attitude. Snooty though she was, the white haired girl had also proven to be unintentionally hilarious. 

“Yeah sure.” Ruby snorted. 

\-----

 

Yang was surprised by Blake’s sudden… advance, but didn’t fight against it. She leaned into the kiss and the two pressed hard against each other, lips going seemingly numb from the force of the contact. It felt passionate and wild, like a starving animal let loose upon the world. 

Blake’s teeth grazed against her lips gently and sent a lightning strike down Yang’s spine. Yang managed to pull away, breaths coming in raspy gulps. 

“What’s gotten into you?” Yang asked, half joking and half serious. Her jeans were starting to feel way too tight. Blake, apparently having noticed Yang’s squirming, leaned in the crook of her neck and breathed a red hot breath onto the blond’s skin like a dragon. 

“Nothing new.” Blake teased, fingers playing with the hem of Yang’s shirt. She could feel every single time the fabric crinkled around her skin. “I don’t want to wait anymore.”

Yang swallowed, hard, and tried to ignore the faunus’s touch and the feeling of soft lips kissing her neck. Yes, Yang had wanted Blake quite badly, but things were different. Things were complicated and Yang had already realized she’d been forming feelings for the girl outside of her own lust. She’d like to think Blake was feeling the same way. 

But she knew she wasn’t. Whatever the other girl felt, at least some of it was being informed by Yang’s glamour, that invisible aura of attraction vampires had, like a Venus fly trap tricking its prey into thinking it was something beautiful and sweet. 

Blake’s fingers lifted the bottom of Yang’s shirt and sped upwards, gently caressing the vampire’s firm abdomen, eliciting another moan from Yang. The faunus chuckled and slid her mouth down to Yang’s collarbone, where her bites increased in intensity, leaving red patches behind to mark Yang’s skin. She hissed as Blake dug her teeth into the soft flesh, a welcome pain searing through her body. 

“Oh fuck-“ Yang moaned, unable to keep her thoughts straight and orderly any longer. “Goddamn Blake…” 

“Want more?” Blake smiled, pulling away from the mysterious girl she wanted so badly. “You’ll have to work for it.”

Yang didn’t need anymore prompting. She grabbed Blake and pressed her back against the wall of the club, sucking roughly on the girl’s neck and dragging her canines against her skin, the smallest trickle of blood slipping into her mouth. It raced through her body, the intoxicating drug coursing through every vein and artery. 

“Hey,” Blake moaned, hips bucking forward towards Yang. “B-bite me, please.”

Yang sunk her teeth in, sucking up blood like a hungry animal and Blake’s groans of desire and the heat radiating off her skin fed the beast even further. The faunus swore and dug her fingers into Yang’s golden hair. 

Yang pulled up from the girl’s neck tucked her hand behind her head, drawing her in for a kiss. Blood stuck to both their lips like rouge, as the two gently began to dance in each other’s mouths. The taste of iron was overwhelming and sweet, like thick red wine served at the finest of tables. The faunus continued to moan, a wordless admission of surrender and pleasure. 

Blake’s continued moans egged Yang onwards and made her insides go crazy. She moved downwards and caressed one of her partner’s breasts, receiving and excited groan in response. Yang couldn’t help but marvel at how _perfect_ her breasts seemed, soft and the perfect size. Her hands dove underneath Blake’s sweater, making much needed direct contact with the girl’s skin. The warmth of the faunus’s skin felt bright and stinging against the cold of Yang’s hands, making Blake shiver. 

She kept a hand under her sweater, addressing the hungry moans and begs coming from Blake, a soon unintelligible mixture of words as she brought Yang’s head back up to continue kissing her. Yang’s desires continued to build until they reached a fever pitch, unable to stay within the confines of their current amount of contact. Her hand left Blake’s chest and fussed with the buttons on her pants, receiving a surprised gasp from Blake. 

“Oh fuck,” Blake moaned, hips buckling under just the slightest pressure. 

“Are you alright with this?” Yang asked, stroking her partner’s hair gently. She needed to hear the admission from Blake’s lips, not wanting to overstep her boundaries and hurt the other girl. 

“Shut up and fuck me.” Blake grabbed Yang’s head and forced their lips back together again, the symphony of moans increasing in volume and intensity, making ever daydream Yang had had about the girl a reality, and a far more exciting one at that. The feeling of their tongues intertwining was primal and electric, making Yang feel like she was being held by the sun. 

And _christ_ , she couldn’t get over how wet Blake was when she finally got her hand down to the girl’s sex, though she was certain she was in an equally soaked state. Yang took it as the admission of two equally horny young adults finally getting off. 

As her fingers rubbed and stroked Blake’s folds, the faunus pulled her head away, gasping for breath as she was slowly overwhelmed with the motions of Yang’s hand. After a moment of listening to Blake’s labored gasps, she moved her hand forward, fingers teasing her partner’s clit as one of her fingers slipped inside of her. 

“Y-Yang,” Blake gasped, choking on the cold air as she clenched tightly around the other girl. Yang swore under her breath, marveling at how warm, soft, and how much like velvet Blake felt like. 

She started off slowly, finger rocking back and forth inside of her sex, thumb occasionally grazing her clit, always met with a sharp intake of air from Blake. The faunus wrapped her arms around Yang, pulling at her clothes as her hips rocked back in forth without any input from her mind, both girls unable to focus on anything else beside each other. 

Yang’s rhythm became more steady and a second finger entered her partner, folds slick and wet and warm, beckoning the entrance of her partner. The blond brought her other hand down from Blake’s hair and began making slow, deliberate circles around her clit, the stimulation obviously rocking the faunus’s body like electricity through a circuit, setting off every primal, vicious, pleasurable instinct the girl had within her. 

“Don’t stop.” Blake begged, hands pulling tightly on Yang’s hair. She didn’t need to be told to continue, and the slow circles gradually increased in speed and pressure, moans escaping Blake’s throat at a breakneck pace. She tightened around Yang’s fingers, the massive amount of stimulation overwhelming and uncontrollable. 

“Fuck- Yang I-” The girl stammered, hips slamming into Yang’s body. Her body ached and welcomed the extreme release of her orgasm, collapsing against Yang’s body, sweat dripping down her brow and hands slowly releasing the other girl’s hair. 

Yang gently took the girl’s chin and stared into her eyes, beautiful, yellow green eyes with sharp ebony black pupils. She kissed her, the gesture full of affection and care. 

_”Goddamn.”_ Blake finally laughed, smiling as she rested her forehead against Yang’s chest. “Here, let me-” 

“I think you need to take five.” Yang smiled softly, kissing the girl on her forehead. “Don’t you have a curfew or something?” 

“Oh fuck.”


	13. Atoms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter for ya, life's been super busy BUT
> 
> how about that canon lgbtqa character and all that gay shit from Yang... good stuff

Blake didn’t want to leave Yang’s embrace. It was warm, safe, and it felt like home. Not to mention that now that their fun, sexy time was over, she remembered that it was still snowing, and that it was really goddamn cold. 

“Can we go inside really quick?” Blake asked, teeth chattering and goosebumps popping up along her skin. 

“Yeah, I think that’s fine.” Yang responded. “Do you have time though?” 

Blake quickly checked her cellphone; she had about an hour and a half left before her parents would probably double check to see that she was indeed home. 

“Yeah i-it’s alright, I just want to be warm again.” Blake shivered. 

“O-oh, you want to go again-”

“Wh- no! I mean,” Blake flushed bright red and at the very least felt her face warming up again. 

“Let’s just go inside.” 

The two shuffled side by side and entered the bar, which wasn’t terrible crowded given the day and the hour. The barkeep looked at Yang, brows furrowed. 

“Blondie, I’m paying you to be a bouncer, not to bring your flings in-” 

“Yeah, and you’re gonna give me 15 minutes or I’ll fling you right on out of here.”

The barkeep shrunk down a little bit and proceeded to ignore the two. 

“You work here now?” Blake asked as the two sat down at a table. Yang placed two lukewarm glasses of water in front of them. 

“When my dad finds out we’re not in school anymore he’s probably not gonna pay for my living expenses anymore. We had a deal and boy did I just break it.”

“That detective isn’t going to help you?” Blake asked, gladly downing the glass of water. Apparently rough sex with a vampire was dehydrating. 

Yang smiled as she watched Blake, despite the depressing subject matter. “Well, she doesn’t seem to like me much. Spy or not, I doubt they’ll be giving me a cent.” 

She huffed, cupping her face in her hands. 

“Honestly, just not going to prison is payment enough.” 

Blake frowned and grabbed one of Yang’s hands. “I’m sorry. I wish there was more I could do.”

“Hey, you just did me.” Yang said with a wink. 

Blake rolled her eyes and pulled her hand back. “Still, keep me in the loop ok? I want to be able to help you and Ruby if I can.” 

Yang hummed softly, tapping her fingers against the table. “You really wanna be involved in all this?”

“Honestly, yeah. I know I can help.” Blake didn’t explain her reason why, but affirmed her desire to get further sucked into the world previously unknown to her. It was exciting, strange, and new. She didn’t want to go back to be a normal faunus when the opportunity for a life of intrigue and adventure had put itself in front of her. For the first time in a long while, she felt like she had agency to drive herself forward again. 

“Blake Belladonna; zombie killer extraordinary.” Yang said in a mock arena announcer voice. “Seriously though, that was weirdly hot when you took that monster down.”

“It wasn’t my first time in a fight.” Blake shrugged, embarrassed by Yang’s compliment. “Though it was my first time fighting the undead.”

“I remember you saying before you weren’t a fan of your past. We don’t have to talk about it, but I am admittedly curious.”

Blake drew her eyes down to the empty glass of water before her. Her past with Adam had been full of mistakes and misguided attempts at justice. 

“You know the White Fang?” 

Yang’s eyes widened a bit at the mention. Everyone's eyes always did.“The terrorist group?” 

Blake shrugged in response. She didn’t want to talk about the details.

“I understand.” Yang responded, taking a sip of water. Blake was thankful she wasn’t pushing any further. 

“I mean, um…” Blake rubbed her thumbs up and down around her glass of water. “Where do we go from here?”

“Well I mean we can go again but I think you’d really miss your curfew then-” 

“Yang!”

“‘I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” 

Blake blushed furiously and struggled to hold back a laugh as Yang put on one of those beautiful, toothy smiles. Her eyes drifted to the woman’s sharp canines and Yang quickly closed her mouth in response. 

“I’m talking about all this… weird zombie business.” Blake tucked a lock of hair behind her ears. 

“Well, I haven’t heard anything yet from queen B.” Yang sighed. “I don’t really know what she’s expecting from me.” 

The blond had finished her water and stood up from the table. “I’ll walk you home?”

“Blondie, you can’t just leave-”

“Shut up Junior.” He promptly shut up. 

Blake rose from the table as well. She didn’t want to go home yet, but her time was at a premium. “You said the other vampires didn’t want anything to do with you?” 

“Basically, yeah.” 

“Because you’re a ‘daywalker’?” Blake shivered. They had exited the bar and the snow had started to pick up again. 

“Yeah, it’s this weird bizarre vampire racism thing. I guess it’s sort of like being a faunus just, uh, with vampires. Not that I’m saying the two are the same.” Yang frowned, sticking her hands deep into the pockets of her jacket. 

“That now dead douchebag was proof enough of how hard it is for you.” 

_It’s because of ‘douchebags’ like him that I joined the Fang in the first place._ Blake thought to herself. They were approaching her house much more quickly than she wanted, desiring to stay out a bit longer with Yang instead. 

“You gonna be ok alone tonight?” Yang asked as they walked into Blake’s yard. It seemed like they had gotten there all too fast. 

“Yeah. I don’t think you should hide in my closet again.” Blake chuckled. “Considering how well it went last time.” 

Yang smiled broadly and stuck her hands into her pockets once again. “Ok. I’ll see you… around?”

“Yeah.” Blake felt her face heating up again once more. “Totally.”

\-----

“Why’s your sister so scary?” 

“Why is your sister a vampire?” 

“Touche, touche.”

Ruby grinned and finished off the last of her coffee, wiping her mouth with her sleeve much to Weiss’s disgust. 

“Hey, I’m sorry I was so rude to you last time Weiss.” Ruby scratched her head. “There was just so much going on and I was worried about my sister and-”

“You’re fine.” Weiss responded, setting her small glass down on the table. “I know I’m not the easiest to get along with, but I’m glad you’re still willing to work with me.”

“I mean I guess we’re all in this together now.” Ruby said with a sigh. Things had gotten real weird, real fast. 

“We don’t have much information on our foes unfortunately.” Weiss began, shifting the subject to business. 

“The zombies you mean?” 

“Well, the technical term is the undead, but yes, the zombie you told us about. We came here originally just to investigate the vampires. This is… quite an unwelcome development.” 

“So you had no idea about them till now?” Ruby tilted her head slightly, gazing across at the regal girl before her. 

“No. But it does help explain the missing persons problem and complicating it as well unfortunately. When we found the corpse Blake had… dealt with, it was practically unidentifiable. DNA showed it was a woman who had gone missing about a month ago.” Weiss scratched her chin thoughtfully. “We won’t be telling her family that of course. Sometimes the truth is too horrible to bear.”

Ruby nodded. “If anyone in my family got turned into something like that I don’t know what I would do.” 

“Well, we’re going to work hard so that it doesn’t ever happen again. We’re here to protect the innocent.” 

“Totally!” Ruby raised her first. 

\-----

Torchwick had seen her do her weird creepy magic a few times now, but it still made him want to wretch every time. The corpse of some poor bastard writhed and contorted under the pressure and stress of Cinder’s magic, sickening ghastly tendrils of red and purple surrounding the body. Gradually, its eyes flashed a bright yellow and the act was finished. The corpse groaned and gasped for air, trying to breathe with lungs that no longer functioned and a mouth that was blue and moldy. 

“Why do you always have to wait until they’ve gotten so… rotten?” He wrinkled his nose at the sight, matching gazes with the frightening young woman before him. 

“It requires far less effort to bring back a weak corpse such as this.” She responded in her languid, sultry voice. “Besides, if the goal is to strike fear into the hearts of the masses, this is the ideal appearance.”

Her silver haired cohort, Mercury, chuckled from the back of the room. “Yeah, hopefully this one won’t get iced right away.”

Cinder glowered at him, promptly shutting him up. 

“Torchwick, do you have the weapons we requested?” It was less of a question and more of a demand. 

He hauled a box into the center of the room, keeping a close eye on the zombie that was tied to the floor. He popped open the metal lid, revealing a stash of rifles and machine guns, weapons that were supposed to be forbidden to the general public. 

Cinder smiled wickedly, a bright, toothy smile that sent a chill down his spine.

“Good. We can finally start phase two.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOWDY i am,,, sorry i haven't been responding to comments, like, at all, but I read every single one and I love receiving them! I'll try to be better about it in the future.


	14. Chapter 14

Blake had completely forgotten about Sun and how she was supposed to be giving him an answer later today. The worst part was that she knew it was her fault; after parting ways with him the night before she had spotted Yang and barely hesitated to jump on the girl and have very embarrassing, very intense public sex. Not that she regretted it or anything. 

Well, there was a bit of regret. 

She rolled over face down into her pillow, letting out a muffled, anguished moan through her bed. Technically she was supposed to be preparing herself to be fighting monsters with Yang and Ruby, not figuring out how to let her best friend down gently. With great hesitation, she picked up her phone up off her nightstand, afraid to look at whatever texts she had received the night prior. 

Her fears were realized in a series of texts from Sun, a grammatically poor chain of messages that told her that he hoped she got home safe last night and that she didn’t need to worry about what he had brought up with her. He was willing to wait as long as she needed. 

She groaned again as she saw that one of the texts was from Yang, who had sent her a picture of what appeared to be her breakfast; a delicious looking plate of pancakes with a side of bacon and Ruby making stupid faces in the background. 

If she hadn’t felt so guilty she would have smiled. 

She eventually got dressed and opened up her laptop, desktop opening up to an empty word document. All this nonsense involving monsters and ghouls had made her want to write a mystery. All her interactions with Yang made her want to write an erotic thriller. All the adrenaline had her mind crazy with ideas. 

Blake rubbed her temples with her hands. Writing was her passion, truly, but things had been so hectic and hellish that she had scarcely found the time to suck herself into a story. 

“Blake, honey are you up yet? I just made a fresh pot of green tea if you want some!” She heard her mother’s voice rise up the stairs. 

“I’ll be right there!” Blake called back, leaving a still empty story open on her computer. 

\------------

He was so angry. He felt almost as angry as when she left him, when she _ruined_ everything. Maybe he’d go out and kill another faunus hating piece of garbage, just to calm himself down. His thirst was starting to return anyway and he didn’t give a shit what his ‘boss’ did or didn’t want him to do. The city had been in an uproar since he murdered Cardin, murdered that little prick who thought he could mess with Blake; _his_ Blake. He had made humanity feel the extent of his power and the fear was evident through the streets. 

The police would never trace him to the crime. They would blame it on that blond vampire who thought she had the right to stalk and flirt with his dearest Blake. That pleasure was reserved for him and for him only. 

He breathed in deeply, taking in the salty, brine filled air of the harbor, happy to finally be back in Vale after dealing with some business in Haven for his ‘boss’, the crazed yellow eyed bitch. He didn’t trust her in the slightest, but she had saved him and granted him his new powers, of which he unfortunately was forever in debt for now. Regardless, it would all be worth it once the plan was finally set in motion, as he was told it soon would be. 

The city would burn and humanity would become nothing more than frightened cattle for him to feed on, just as they were always meant to be, and just as Blake was always meant to be by his side. 

\------------  
“Xiao Long. Rose.”

“Schnees.” 

Winter, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang had gathered in an upscale bar in downtown Vale, a place about a million times nicer smelling and looking than Junior’s place. The patrons all wore the fanciest of dresses and suits, munching aimlessly away on unpronounceable horderves with not a single faunus in sight. Yang had gotten so used to being around Blake and her cat ears that it seemed weird. 

“What’d you call us out here for?” Yang and Ruby took their seats around a well cushioned, circular table made out of mahogany or whatever the fuck fancy people made their tables out of. She and Ruby looked and felt out of place despite the fact that Winter had told them to dress to impress. The girls wore the best clothes they had; Ruby, a short dress with red and gold embroidered roses over black fabric, and Yang, a simple white dress that she had purchased back when she still felt like a regular person and not a slavering monster. It still fit her, though the bust felt as though it might ‘bust’ at any moment. 

Winter seemed to notice the discomfort of the siblings and hailed a waiter over. She turned to the two and told them to order whatever they wanted, which Yang gladly took advantage of.

“Double scotch please. Neat.” Yang said, body already craving the sweet burn of hard liquor. 

“Uh, I’ll have wine I guess?” Ruby asked awkwardly. She wasn’t much of a drinker. 

Weiss loudly cleared her throat. “She’ll have the 76’ chardonnay, as will I.”  
Yang glanced over at her sister to find the young girl blushing, though whether it was from embarrassment or something else was beyond her. 

Winter glanced over at the two girls as well, before putting in her order for a fancy sounding pinot. Yang silently wanted to barf. She found wine to be sickeningly sweet and disgusting. 

“Double scotch? Really?” Weiss glowered at Yang, who shrugged in response. 

“Hey, the bigger version of you said whatever we wanted.” 

“My name is Winter.” Mega-Weiss coughed, eyes narrowing in an almost exact imitation of her sister’s. It would have been hilarious if the overall mood hadn’t felt so heavy. 

“We believe we’ve made a bit of a breakthrough in our investigation.” Winter began, thanking the waiter as he returned with everyone’s drinks. 

“I began tailing Qrow Branwen roughly a week ago, with shockingly excellent results.” 

Yang choked a little bit on her booze. Qrow was being followed and he didn’t know? That didn’t seem quite right. Maybe he did know, and was just letting Winter follow him around for the heck of it?

“On two separate occasions Qrow Branwen encountered, and disposed of an undead.” 

“That’s good isn’t it?” Ruby chimed in. “It means he’s on our side, which of course I mean, I already knew, Uncle Qrow would never be a bad guy-” 

“It _means_ ,” Winter interrupted, “That your Uncle knows more about this than he should. I’d like to take him in for questioning.” 

“You want us to bait out Qrow?” Yang scoffed. “No way. You’re the one who’s been tailing him; ask him yourself.” 

Winter growled back at the two girls with a faint flush on her cheeks. “He won’t come quietly, and I suspect that he’s beginning to believe he’s being followed. I’m an excellent tracker, but he’s a formidable opponent, despite being drunk all the time.” 

Yang couldn’t deny that part, though she was surprised at how much Winter seemed to know about Qrow. She supposed that was just a part of the vampire hunting business. 

“If you two lure him in we can capture him for questioning.” 

“Can’t we just… I dunno, talk to him normally?” Ruby asked, innocent as always. “You could have invited him here.” 

“I hardly think he would simply divulge that information.” Weiss began, finger circling the rim of her glass. “Though I suppose…”

“What?” Winter stared at her sister along with the others. 

“Perhaps Ruby has a point. Perhaps he’d be willing to talk in an open space like this.” 

“I highly doubt it. What’s gotten into you Weiss?” Winter admonished. 

“I-I know it sounds foolish.” Weiss stammered, her boldness shocking both Yang and Ruby. “But why don’t we try that approach first, before we undertake a risky operation?”

Winter’s eyes widened before her expression softened, a smile forming on her lips. 

“Do you truly think so Weiss?” 

“Y-yes.” Weiss snuck a glance at Ruby before adopting a firm expression with her sister. 

“Hm.” Winter hummed in that annoying, pretentious way Yang had come to recognize. 

“Fine. Xiao Long, Rose, tell your Uncle that I’d like to arrange a date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOOOOLY SHIT im not dead  
> i updated wow crazy
> 
> Thanks to everyone who left me super nice comments and messages during my lil hiatus there! My life kinda took a dump shortly after Christmas a few months ago and I've been struggling to get anything done really. But I'm back and hoping to update once a week after this short chapter here! Thank you so much for reading!


	15. Chapter 15

_”We can’t do this Adam! Adam, are you listening to me!? Adam, stop!”_

_Blake pulled and pulled on his arm with enough force to dislocate a normal person’s shoulder. Adam wasn’t a normal person though. He was a powerful, noble, driven young man who-_

_Well, he had stopped being noble a few months ago she supposed._

_A human laid bloody and beaten at his feet, whimpering, begging for mercy, half red, half clear tears dripping down their cheeks as they cried._

_“You saw what they did!” Adam shouted, the volume of his voice pushing Blake away like the gust of a storm._

_“Who cares!?” Blake screamed back. “You almost killed him!”_

_“Well maybe I should finish the job!” Adam raised his boot high over the human’s head, ready to stomp on the poor bastard’s skull. Blake dove into him, tackling Adam down to the ground, both of them ending up in a tangled pile._

_“It doesn’t matter, we don’t kill peop-”_

_She felt his already bloodied fist smack hard into her cheek. Blake flew off him from the force, the skin of her face already burning and stinging from the rush of blood to the damaged spot. It was sure to leave a bruise later._

_“Blake! Blake, no, no, I’m so sorry Blake!”_

_Adam ran over to her where she lay on the ground, stunned more over the fact that she_ had _been hit more than anything else. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been hit before. But by Adam?_

_Adam wasn’t-_

_He wasn’t ever-_

_Supposed to-_

“Ngh!” Blake woke up from her nightmare so quickly she felt like she’d almost snapped her neck in half. 

“Fuck,” Blake mumbled, trying to massage the tension out of her neck. She’d fallen asleep on her keyboard, the long string of “FGFGFGFGFGFGFGFGFGFGF”s on her document the evidence of her slumber. 

After having a lovely break over tea with her mother, Blake had finally gotten started writing on a story. It was a about a girl who meets a mysterious, undead girl one spring evening; which clearly, she told herself, had nothing to do with her recent discovery of Yang Xiao Long. Absolutely nothing. 

She hadn’t heard much from her mysterious blond femme fatale lately. Presumably, she was ok. Hopefully. Her phone dinged and her heart skipped a beat, pounding faster as she hoped to hear from Yang. Somewhat disappointingly, it was just a group text from her non vampiric friends. She sighed and admonished herself for ignoring them lately; she was being a shitty friend. Blake grabbed her bag and headed out to meet them, keeping her phone close to her chest in case she received a message from Yang. 

\-----

“Hey Ice Queen.”

“Ugh.” 

“What, aren’t you happy to see me?” 

“No, not really.” 

Winter narrowed her eyes at Qrow, who was wearing a suit that clearly hadn’t been pressed or tailored in years and smelled like the backend of a bar that had recently been shut down for a health code violation. She guessed she should just have been glad he had dressed up at all.

Most of the patrons in the restaurant were ignoring the two, but several high brow customers had their eyes on Qrow and Winter, whispering what were doubtlessly insults behind glasses of champagne and brandy. 

_”Winter,”_ Weiss’s voice ringed out in her ear, covered up by her long locks of white, her sister sending her a message over the earpiece. 

_”Hurry and head to the table, you’re making a scene!”_

Winter loved her little sister to death, truly, but was suddenly regretting allowing her and the other two girls access to radio communications. 

“Somethin’ wrong there?” Qrow grumbled with a slight burp. 

“No, nothing, let’s sit down.” Winter gestured with her hand to a secluded booth where two glasses of water were already standing at attention. Qrow hummed to himself and slid into the booth and immediately called a waiter over, ordering a frankly alarming starting round of alcohol. 

“So, let’s be real here Ice Queen, what’d you call me out here for?” Qrow began after Winter sent the waiter away with her order. 

“My niece’s said you wanted a date with me. What’d you put them up to? I mean, I know you can’t get enough of me, but my family’s safety comes first.” 

Winter groaned, trying to ignore Qrow’s general… existence. 

“Trust me Branwen, nothing would make me happier then to send you away to Ironwood in handcuffs.”

“Ugh, is he still after me? Look, he’s definitely got bigger things to worry about, I’m sure.” The waiter returned with a serving dish full of hard liquor and a single glass of wine. Qrow grabbed a glass off the dish and immediately slugged one back. 

“Phew! Only the good stuff here, huh?” Qrow laughed, grabbing the rest of the glasses as Winter tentatively sipped her wine. “I’m not used to this kinda nice shit.” 

“Bigger things like what?” Winter asked, ignoring his lack of tact. 

“Shoulda known this was an interrogation. We ever gonna actually be friends Winter?” 

“I highly doubt it.” 

Winter could hear Yang and Ruby snickering on the other end of the radio. 

“Look, promise me you don’t have a whole squad of police waiting outside to arrest me alright? Not that they’d be able to take me in or anything, I am pretty damn amazing.... Remember the last time you tried? I ended up slashing the tires on that cruiser and-

“Qrow!” Winter hissed. “There’s no one waiting! Your nieces were insistent that we take the _civil_ route, though you’re very quickly making me lose my temper.”

“Yeah, those two kids are pretty convincing aren’t they?” Qrow chuckled, sounding bizarrely sincere. “I haven’t told Oz about this little meeting, but I’m sure the old man wouldn’t mind a little cooperation. It’s just… Ironwood.” 

Qrow huffed. “You’re gonna report straight back to him aren’t you? He’s not a good guy Winter.” 

“Like you would be one to talk.” Winter shot back. “I’ll have you know that Ironwood is dedicated to protecting the people-” 

“He’s dedicated to himself and himself only.” Qrow’s eyebrows dropped and his stubble covered mouth curved into a frown. “I know we’ve had a bit of a rocky relationship, but I know you’re better than him Winter. Oz would welcome you back. Your sister too.” 

Winter, despite her better judgement found herself blushing slightly at the compliment. It had been a very long time since she had seen the more genuine side of Qrow. 

“... I don’t think I can tell you anything if you’re just going to report back to Ironwood though.” 

_”What’s he talking about?”_ She heard the girls on the other line whispering to themselves. _”Who’s Oz?”_

“Fine. I promise not to tell him anything. What is said here will stay between you and me.” Winter outstretched her hand. Qrow grabbed it and gave it a rough shake. 

“Alright then. Well, aside from hunting down my niece, what all have you figured out?” Qrow threw his arms over the back of the booth after slugging down another drink. 

“She was the prime suspect in a murder case Qrow. I did what I had to do. She’s also been… seducing the one of the detective’s daughters, which is providing me with yet another headache to deal with.” 

_”Wh- I’m not seducing anyone!”_

_”C’mon Yang, she’s basically right.”_

_”I thought I told you to leave Belladonna alone!”_

Winter moved to brush a lock of hair out of her face and deactivated her ear piece while she was at it. Such childish drama lacked a place in the current conversation. 

“She’s a lady and a gentleman killer. Gets it from my side probably.” Qrow shrugged. “But she’s never hurt anyone, so you better keep her and Ruby far, far away from Ironwood’s little gaze. If either of them get hurt, even a little bit, you’re gonna wish you’d never come to Vale.”

“It’s not my intention to abuse their trust.” Winter huffed. “... they’re good kids, if a bit over eager at times.” 

“Ain’t that the truth.” Qrow rolled his eyes and sighed. Winter didn’t know much about his relationship with his family, other than some details about his estranged sister, but could sense his sincerity. 

“Back to business.” Winter folded her hands in a prompt, practiced fashion. “The undead. I’ve received reports of you encountering and neutralizing them.” 

“That’s true. Got your eyes all over the city huh?” Another swig of whiskey came. “They’re gross little bastards and they’re trying to hurt people. I’ve been doing my part, killing as many of them as possible.” 

“You can’t kill something that’s undead; neutralize is a far more appropriate term-”

“Oh my _god_ your board meetings must be so fun! Do tell me more about the correct way to refer to zombies princess.” 

“ _Anyways,_ ” Winter coughed loudly, “what do you know of them? Do you have any leads on a possible necromancer?” 

Qrow’s red eyes grew deadly serious. He scratched his stubble and tapped his finger on a whiskey glass as he thought to himself. Winter narrowed her eyes, hoping the man would divulge whatever information he clearly held on the subject. 

“I might know someone. But I don’t know where she is and I don’t feel quite comfortable enough to tell you. It’s kind of a loose lead anyways.”

“I’m far better at tracking than you are Qrow.” 

“Yeah, I know you’ve got that hound’s nose.”

“Don’t refer to me like that!” Winter slammed her fist on the table, drawing several prying eyes towards their booth. 

“Woah, calm down Ice Queen, it was a joke.”

“... apologies.” She straightened the neckline on her blouse and took a deep breath. 

Qrow dropped that line of talk. “ _Anyways_ , they’re growing rapidly in number. I’m starting to not be able to keep up with all of them. Anyone I don’t get to in time… all I end of finding is a trail of blood and maybe a body part or two. They must be harvesting their victims to make more of them.”

Winter frowned. Qrow was a strong fighter, even by vampire standards. If he and his coven were starting to have trouble dealing with the zombies, it meant that there was the distinct chance that the city might become aware of their existence. How many missing people would it take before the population started turning to supernatural explanations? Their time limit was quickly shrinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I can't get over all the nice messages and comments and kudos-es-es I've received from you guys! You're all.... simply the best.   
> I totes hope you continue to enjoy the story!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Christ I am crazy sorry for the delay on this! I got caught up in a personal project and I've started going back and editing some of the previous chapters for this fic (making them less sucky in general) so those updates should be hitting soon. Honestly to everyone who's still sticking with the story thank you so much for dealing with my absurdly inconsistent update schedule!

“Alright Blake, truth or dare!” Nora’s grin resembled that of a bloodthirsty shark, the corners of her mouth curved up into a v shape. She was hungry for chum. 

Blake sighed, hands rubbing together in the pockets of her sweater in an attempt to generate some heat. She and her friends were headed home after a big old’ meal at an all you can eat Chinese buffet, recommended to them by that lanky blond kid, Jaune. He was starting to hang out with them more and more, having become fast friends with Ren and Nora, and later Sun and Neptune. Blake was still a little iffy of him; he talked about his girl troubles a lot and didn’t work particularly hard in class, but he was… well, he could have been worse. 

“Dare.” Blake finally responded with a bold smirk, making Nora's shark like grin even more pronounced. 

“Y’all seriously gotta stop picking dare.” Neptune groaned, pulling up the collar on his jacket even higher than it already was to block out the cold. “It’s gonna be the death of us.” 

“Neptune, it’s not our fault you couldn’t do ten squats while shotgunning a beer-” Sun began, playfully teasing his friend. 

“Don’t. Remind me.” His blue hair still had the sticky remnants of beer lurking in his locks. 

“Alright Blake.” Nora snickered, eyes darting around the area as she came up with some absurd thing for Blake to do. Her eyes narrowed on an old chain link fence the group was passing by. 

“Climb over that fence and back before Jaune here can count to ten!” She proudly pointed her finger at the barrier. 

“Nora, isn’t that trespassing?” Ren, the quiet voice of reason spoke with an exasperated tone. Blake wasn't sure what Nora would do without him.

“Only for ten seconds!” Nora whined in response as she crouched down on her knees like a toddler. 

“Is that it?” Blake asked with a smirk, one hand on the fence. “Really Nora? That’s no problem at all.” 

“Ooh, Blake Belladonna, not scared of anything!” Sun and Neptune cooed. Oh yeah. Sun. She was supposed to be giving him an answer about whether or not she wanted to date him after she got railed by Yang against a brick wall. 

Climbing the fence really was nothing in comparison to that insurmountable task. She’d climb a thousand fences if she could just leave the whole mess behind.

“Alright then, ready?” Nora held her hand up high as though she were about to cast a racing flag. Jaune was ready to count, looking mostly happy just to be included. “Go!” 

Blake wasn’t sure if it was because she was part cat or what, but she had always been incredibly agile. She scaled the chain link fence like a ninja, interrupting Jaune’s counting as he let out an amazed ‘wow’ and landing with grace. 

“Jaaaauuuune!” Nora groaned bashing her head against the fence, metal clinking. “You have to keep counting!” 

“I-I mean, I think that’s good enough don’t you think? You didn’t tell me you were like a secret agent Blake!” Jaune had the sparkle of admiration in his eyes. 

“I’m hardly a ‘secret agent.’” Blake rolled her eyes, rubbing her hands together to keep them warm. At one point in time, she _had_ been a bit of an agent, but those years were far behind her. Memories of her and Adam smashing windows and breaking into hateful human's apartments threatened her. Mentally, she shoved them back far, far into the recesses of her mind where they belonged. She was poised to leap back over the fence when her sensitive ears caught a voice on the wind. Sun first noticed her sudden change in demeanor. 

“Blake what is it?” 

“I think someone’s in trouble!” Blake spun on her heels with enough speed to leave a skid mark. She heard her friends shouting stuff behind her, as well as the clinking of metal as they presumably climbed after her. 

The fence protected a more upper class residential area full of fancy looking lofts and condos. Luckily for them, it wasn’t _quite_ the pocket of wealth to warrant its own security force. Her cat ears twitched back and forth as she tried to pinpoint the source of the wailing. She wasn't surprised that no one else had seemingly called for help yet. The lack of sirens was evident. Her cheeks burned with anger, knowing very well how often people ignored cries for help, confident someone else would take care of the mess or simply being to callous to care. 

“Stop, oh God, someone help me Please! Aaugh!"

She turned her golden eyes upward, towards the top of one of the lofts. 

_Great._ She thought to herself. Of course it had to be at the very top. Sun and Nora made it next to her first, being the fastest and most in shape of their friend group.

“Blake what’s going on?” Sun asked, taking in a deep breath to make up for his sprint. 

“I’m not sure, but I’m not just letting it slide.” Blake felt determined and empowered. If she could smash a zombie’s brains out, then surely she could handle this. “You guys stay here, I’ll check it out.” 

An out of breath Ren and Neptune appeared with Jaune, who had apparently failed miserably at climbing the fence if the new hole in his pants was any indication. 

“Blake, we should call the police.” Ren continued his streak as the voice of reason. Blake however, had already taken off, hopping up onto the building’s fire escape with the same acrobatic prowess from before. Recent events had left her feeling bold, like she could do anything. She wasn’t just a regular girl anymore. 

She wasn’t entirely sure if she ever had been normal really. Her thoughts threatened to drift back to her adventures with Adam, scaling fences with him, slashing tires and- 

Blake forced herself to block out such memories, focusing instead on the feeling of the freezing fire escape rails on her hands. 

“Oh come on!” Sun groaned, following after her despite Blake’s previous comment. Nora simply shrugged at Ren and took off after Blake as well. 

The top of the roof had a few lawn chairs on it, accompanied by a few scattered beer bottles and soda cans. It wasn’t uncommon that people would head to the rooftops to watch the sunset, or gaze at the moon’s reflection on the ocean on a particularly clear night. The great wall could even be seen in the distance; it was the country’s primary barrier against foreign invaders and Grimm. 

Blake wondered off offhandedly if Yang had ever seen a Grimm. 

As she continued to step onto the rooftop, her foot landed in a pile of something wet and sticky. She instinctively backed away and tried to scrape it off her shoe, noting the deep maroon streak it left behind on the concrete. 

_That’s definitely blood._

It hadn’t even occurred to her that the cries for help had been silenced, replaced by sloppy wet gurgling and splattering. Near the edge of the roof two people were lying on the ground, with a third looming over them and scooping handfuls of flesh into his mouth. 

“Sun, Nora, don’t come up here!” Blake screamed, keeping her eyes trained on the zombie. The beast moaned and the horrid sloshing of loose blood and skin made her skin go cold. It slowly crept up from its crouched position and locked a pair of pallid, veiny eyes on Blake. They looked like they might burst from their sockets at any moment. 

Despite her warning, she could hear Sun clamoring up the top of the fire escape, eventually pulling himself up onto the rooftop.

“Blake, what the heck is going-” Sun’s question died in his throat and was replaced with a gag. She could hear Nora behind her making a similar noise. She couldn’t blame them; when she’d first seen a zombie with Yang and Ruby she thought she was going to vomit all her insides out. 

The monster started shambling towards them, still wearing a dirty old suit from its previous life, a name tag hanging limply from its chest. Blake tried hard not to think of it as a person; it was a monster that needed to be stopped. Her heart was slamming back in forth in her chest and a voice in the back of her mind kept calling out for Yang. 

“What’s wrong with this guy!?” Nora’s voice twisted upward in pitch, fear coloring her normally cheerful timbre. “It’s like he’s-”

“Like a zombie or something man!” Sun finished, shuffling closer to Blake with his chest puffed out, as though the gesture would stop the monster in its tracks. 

“Seriously, both of you go back down now! I can handle it.” Blake didn’t exactly have time to explain the whole mess that had befallen their city. She was strong; she could handle it. 

“You’re joking right?” Sun scoffed. The zombie let out a scream, if it could be called a scream. The flesh around its neck sagged and warped as it roared, turning the stomachs of Blake and her friends as it finally began to charge at them. 

Her feline eyes darted around, looking for something to bash its head in with. Apparently steel pipes weren’t just _lying_ around like they were in abandoned warehouses. 

Bummer. 

She took a deep breath and returned her gaze to the zombie, which was diving towards Sun, grimy, blue fingernails ready to dig into his skin. He proved agile though, showing that his muscles weren’t just for show as he dodged out of the way, rolling to the left of the zombie. 

“Back off ass face!” Nora hollered, a clenched fist colliding with the zombie’s face with a squelching sound. She never had been one to back down from a fight. The monster reeled back from the force of the blow, one of its eyes popping free of its bony prison and landing with a squish at Nora’s feet. 

“Oh god no, gross, gross, gross!” Nora flapped her hand as fast as she could to get any stray zombie gunk off of it. Blake quickly kicked the organ away, as though that somehow would make the situation better. Sun dry heaved. 

“Are you guys ok up there!?” Neptune called out from below. 

“Don’t come up here bro!” Sun echoed Blake’s sentiment and hoped that the others still left on the ground would actually listen this time. 

“That just makes us want to come up more y’know!”

The creature sputtered and groaned before lurching after Sun again. Blake sprung into action and grabbed an empty beer bottle, shattering the container on the thick end to leave razor sharp glass blades. With a roar, she crashed into the zombie from behind, stabbing the bottle into the base of its skull. Old, brown, acrid blood spewing out of the back of its neck. She wasn’t sure if it was crying out in anger or pain, but the monster backed away from Sun and stumbled, seething like an injured animal. Maybe she should have aimed higher, right for its brain or something. That’s how it worked in all the stories at least. She wasn’t totally sure how these 'real' zombies worked, considering that she had just turned the last one’s head into a pile of foul smelling paste. 

“Fucking hell, that was awesome Blake!” Sun smiled, though the fear and shock was evident in the back of his voice. Blake forced a smile as well. She would have picked up zombie slaying a long time ago if she could have. 

“Guys, it’s still alive!” Nora said, the three of them now standing together in a tight row. 

“Ok, define _alive_...” 

“Not now Sun!” Blake had lost her makeshift weapon in the attack, but her success had her feeling emboldened and her adrenaline made her strong. Much to her surprise, and to the surprise of her friends however, their next move was decided for them, as a massive raven appeared out of nowhere and rammed into the zombie with its talons, shredding the zombie’s already rotten face to ribbons. 

“What the-” Was all Nora managed to get out. Blake and Sun echoed her sentiment, eyes wide as they watched the bird heckle the zombie to the ground. The raven’s feathers burst out in a blast of silvery blackness, obscuring their view. Even so, Blake could see another humanoid shape appear in the darkness. The feathers disappeared to reveal a woman with long, raven colored hair and blazing red eyes with a large butterfly knife completely vivisecting the zombie’s skull. 

Its arms uselessly tried to claw at the woman, before finally falling limp to its sides. 

She retrieved her knife, throwing off the ichor from the blade with a practiced flick of the wrist. 

“You children should be more careful.” The woman smirked, red eyes resting on Blake and her friends, the faunus’s blood running cold as she got a closer look at the bird turned zombie slayer in front of them. 

“Y-Yang?” Blake stammered. The woman laughed out loud, holding her sides as though they’d split from laughter. 

“Good guess, I suppose.” She placed her knife back into a pocket of her leather jacket, before turning her back on the group. 

“Tell Yang I said hi.” Without another word, she leaped off the side of building. 

“Oh fuck!” Sun and Nora ran over to the edge, only to find the same bird from before flying away and no corpse splattered down on the street. Sun’s stomach had finally reached its limit and proceeded to empty its contents onto the cement rooftop. 

“God you’re gonna make me throw up too monkey boy.” Nora gagged, patting the boy’s back in support. 

“You guys run way too fast.” Clanking could be heard from the fire escape as the three stragglers climbed onto the roof. 

“What the hell just happened-” Neptune wasn’t able to finish his sentence before his eyes went white and he fainted on top of Ren. Jaune made like Sun and almost immediately puked on the spot. Ren’s thoughtful eyes glanced at the scene left on the rooftop, before looking directly at Blake and posing a very simple question.

“The fuck?”


	17. Chapter 17

Ruby felt like a secret agent, looking at the restaurant through a pair of binoculars with her sister and Weiss. They had a small, but clear visual on her Uncle and Winter, who had just been served their main course for the evening; a truly delicious looking pork roast with a bunch of sides Ruby wasn’t sure how to pronounce. Her stomach growled in response. All she'd had to eat earlier was a turkey sandwich. 

As much fun as being a secret agent was, it didn’t stop her from shivering inside her puffy black jacket; it was absolutely _freezing_ outside. Yang and Weiss looked equally cold, with their noses and cheeks tinted red. 

_“Hey Ice Queen, can I eat here every night from now on?”_

_”No. Never again Qrow.”_

Ruby and Yang looked at each other and snickered. Their uncle was really giving it to Weiss’s sister. Weiss simply rolled her eyes in the dim lighting of the night. She’d gotten so cute-angry after Winter had silenced them on her end. At the very least they could still hear what was going on with the adults. 

Weiss had insisted that they be able to listen in in case Qrow tried anything, and Yang had insisted on it in case the police tried to pull anything. The level of trust wasn’t the greatest but at least it was… sort of there. It was nice spending time with someone that wasn't Yang, though she wasn't totally sure Weiss would have described them as 'friends' yet.

“Xiao Long, have you really been spending time around Blake Belladonna again?” Weiss sneered, manicured fingers tapping impatiently on her arm. “I thought I told you to leave her alone.”

Oh boy. Ruby sighed as Weiss decided to open a can of worms. 

“What’s it to you?” Yang didn’t miss a beat, though the intensity of her tone was undercut by a runny nose. 

“She’s a bystander!”

“She can make her own decisions!” 

Uh oh. Ruby threw her head back with a groan. Did they really need to talk about her sister’s love life right now? She loved Yang in a big, big way, but that didn’t mean that her hotheadedness always made for good company, especially when coupled with Weiss activating 'bitchy' mode, as Yang had described it. 

She pulled the small little speaker they had closer to her, despite the fact all that the two adults were talking about right now was Winter rambling on about how bad ‘dark alcohols were for your body’, and how Qrow would look ‘so much more presentable’ if he would just shave for once in his life. 

She was starting to wonder just what her uncle’s history with Winter was. Hehe. It was always fun to tease Qrow. 

“You know very well she can’t ‘make her own decisions.’” Weiss pointed an accusatory finger at Yang and said the last part of the sentence with a solid dose of venom. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ruby could hear her sister’s teeth grinding against each other like gears in an angry machine. Oh _boy_. Weiss really should not have said that. 

“You probably haven't even told her.” Weiss’s tone increased in severity. “I bet you’ve really been turning on the glamour every time you see her.” 

“Hey Weiss, that’s not cool.” Ruby tried to intervene. 

“You think I’m _using_ her?” Yang stood up from where she’d been previously sitting, eyes threatening to shift into a dangerous red. “You don’t know the first thing about us princess."

“Of course you're using her! I know it when I see it.” Weiss threw her ponytail back with a confident huff. Her eyes were like daggers. 

“I would never do that to Blake!” Yang growled, eyes burning a bright ruby red now. “I wouldn’t do that to anyone!” 

“Vampires are all the same!” Weiss was on her feet now as well. “You’ll bleed her dry and leave her behind!”

Yang’s eyes were on fire. Her fists were clenched and her knuckles were white. 

“We told you to leave her alone, and it’s your fault she’s wrapped up in this mess now!”

“Guys seriously! Stop it!” Ruby just wanted them to stop. “Stop fighting, this is stupid!” 

“I didn’t ask to be born like this!” Yang screamed. It was so loud and so sad that Ruby felt shaken to her core. Weiss opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She looked away from Yang, as though she could no longer bear to look at her. Her icy blue eyes seemed to gleam with tears. Someone living in the building they were on yelled out their window for them to shut up. 

“... I didn’t ask.” Yang choked. She rubbed a hand across her face, wiping away tears. Her voice was hoarse. 

“Yang-” Ruby reached out with her hand. Her sister looked so vulnerable and weak. It was a strange sight. 

“I’m gonna go.” Yang turned her back on the two girls and stormed off without another word. A few wet spots formed on the ground behind her as some of her tears fell to the ground. 

“Call me if you need me.” Yang started down the fire escape. She glared at Weiss one last time. “Though I bet you’d rather see me dead.” 

Ruby and Weiss watched in silence as Yang disappeared from their view, both of them at a loss. The already frigid night seemed even coulder. 

“Are you ok Weiss?” Ruby finally asked after what seems like years had passed. 

“What?” Weiss’s response was barely above a whisper. 

“A-are you ok?” Ruby repeated. 

“... no not really.” Weiss turned back towards the restaurant and sat down on the edge of the building, shoulders slumped in shame. Ruby waited a moment before sitting down next to her.   
Despite her best efforts to hold them back, tears were streaking down Weiss’s cheeks. 

“Don’t you want to go after your sister?” Weiss wiped the tears off her cheeks with the back of her hand. Ruby thought it was a shame to see such a pretty girl crying. 

“She’ll be ok.” Ruby smiled, hoping that it didn’t seem too forced. She felt bad, but Weiss did too, and if her mom had taught her anything, it’s that helping others was always the right thing to do. “She’s the toughest person I know… she just needs some time alone.” 

It was always hard for Ruby when Yang was upset. For the longest time, especially after their mother Summer died, Yang had basically raised Ruby. She had always been there for her when things were hard, always. Yang was always strong and took everything on herself. Their previous conversation was one of the few times she had seen Yang cry. It was always eerie. 

“Y’know, she really never would hurt anyone. She really hates being a vampire.” Ruby began, closing her eyes. “She didn’t even know she was till she was 15.”

“What? How did she not know?” Weiss seemed incredulous. 

“There weren’t any signs. She seemed just like everyone else. I think dad was hoping it would always be that way, that her powers wouldn’t ever show up. It seemed like they’d gotten lucky somehow.” Ruby fidgeted with her fingers. Yang would probably be mad at her for telling Weiss all this, but she felt that it would make the icy girl understand her sister a bit better. 

“I suppose being a half breed could have led to a late manifestation of her vampire traits.” Weiss sighed and brought her eyes up to meet Ruby’s. “It must have been difficult.” 

“It was hard.” Ruby nodded. “She and my dad fought a lot after we found out.” 

“What happened? How did you find out?” Weiss seemed genuinely curious now. Ruby smiled sadly at the girl. Her neck throbbed as she remembered her childhood. 

“She attacked me.”

Weiss’s eyes widened and her hand rose to cover her mouth. “God Ruby, I’m so sorry-”

“It’s ok! Really it’s ok.” Ruby put a hand on Weiss’s shoulder. “It was an accident. But it really eats her up. So she always does her best.” 

“‘I’m sorry, Ruby.” Weiss sobbed. “I-” 

“It’s ok. Let’s get back to work!”

Weiss seemed ashamed of herself. They sat in silence after that, listening to Qrow and Winter continue their silly banter on the radio. 

\-----

God _damn_ it was cold. The frigid wind pressed against cheeks making her tears feel like ice. Yang may have felt like her anger and rage could have burned a hole through the concrete, but it still didn’t keep out chill of winter, or the stringing wounds from Weiss’s words. She found herself walking alone on the streets, passing by late night workers headed home and revelers, repeating what Weiss said over and over again in her head. 

_“You’ll bleed her dry and leave her behind!”_

“I’d never hurt Blake.” Yang mumbled, watching as her breath disappeared in a small cloud of white. Her mind replayed the events of the night where she had attacked Blake, where she’d acted like a blood starved animal. It really was a miracle Blake even wanted anything to do anymore with her. Maybe she would have killed Blake that night if she hadn’t been stopped. Maybe she _was_ hurting Blake. 

“Maybe I am just a monster.” The words poured out of her mouth like poison. She could just imagine Ruby’s sweet voice telling her that wasn’t true, that she wasn’t a monster, and that she was the best big sister in the world. Her little sister could say those things with such veracity that anyone would think it was true.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, repetitive brass like dings indicating a whole series of text messages. It was probably Qrow or Ruby, trying to make sure she was ok or something. 

“Blake?” She stopped in her tracks and leaned against an old brick building, lilac eyes scanning the messages Blake had sent her. 

_I really need to talk to you_

_There was another monster_

Yang’s fingers hovered above the phone’s keyboard, unable to type out a coherent response to Blake. There was another zombie? Was she ok? Was she alone? Her heart thundered in her chest. She pressed the call button, wanting to hear Blake’s voice, wanting some sort of confirmation that she was ok. The phone felt like a heavy block of ice against her cheek. 

“C’mon Blake pick up.” Yang started out down the street again, not wanting to look conspicuous leaning against the building. Her biker jacket and bright blond hair made her stand out. 

_”Yang?”_ Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of Blake’s voice. 

“Blake, thank god you’re ok.” 

_“Yeah, I’m ok, I’m headed home with a few others right now.”_

“Wait others?” Yang thought Blake’s friends, Sun, Nora, Ren.... “Did they see it? The uh, y’know.”

_”Yeah. I’m not sure what to do. I have Winter’s number, should I call her?”_

Ugh. Another reminder of how she had stormed off from Weiss and Ruby. She was absolutely mortified. Still, Ice Queen would know what to do.   
“Yeah, definitely. She’ll know what to do, stuffy as she is.”

She heard a small laugh from the other end of the phone. Blake sounded exhausted though. Yang hoped from the bottom of her heart that the faunus would be able to get some sleep tonight. 

“Where are you? I’ll make sure you get home ok.”

_”I’m already almost home, but Yang, there’s something else…”_ Blake’s tone didn’t inspire confidence. Worry coursed through Yang’s veins. 

“What is it?” 

_”The person that actually killed the zombie it was… well… Yang, she looked just like you. She had this long black hair and her eyes were red just like yours.”_

Yang skidded to a halt in the middle of the street. All of a sudden she felt trapped in her own body. Her knees shook. 

_”Yang? Are you still there? Yang?”_

“Did she say what her name was?” Yang asked, tone deathly serious. Her anger from before started to return, bubbling back up in her chest like a venomous concoction. 

_”No, she didn’t say, but they must know you. They told me to tell you… ‘hi’. A-and then it was crazy, she just jumped off the building and turned into a bird and-”_

Yang ended the call. Her breath came in huge, labored gulps. She tried to remind herself that Blake was ok, that she was back home safe. That Raven hadn’t hurt her. That was all that woman was capable of doing.

“Gah!” Yang clenched her phone in her left hand and slammed the nearest wall with her right, scabbing her knuckles and drawing the attention from several passersby, including a cop. 

“Hey, calm down there!” The officer shuffled up to her. He eyed her suspiciously. “Everything ok miss?” 

“Uh, yeah, my bad.” Yang tried to steady her breathing. The last thing she needed was a citation from a cop. “I just got some bad news and-” 

“... alright. Well, knock it off. You’re disturbing the peace.” He straightened his tie before walking off, passing a couple that were murmuring to each other, no doubt about her. 

_“You’ll bleed her dry and leave her behind!”_

Her phone continued to buzz, messages from Blake flooding her inbox. 

_Yang? Yang what happened where are you? Yang please respond I’m worried._

Once again, Yang found herself holding back tears that night.


	18. Chapter 18

Yang walked around for a while, one foot after the other, trying to focus on the cold air and the gravel getting caught in the treds of her boots. All the lights in the city seemed too bright, too intense. Everything felt like information overload and her mind felt like someone had shoved her head in a whirlpool. 

_I just need a drink. Just one. Maybe two._ There was a local bar in the area that was pretty good, smaller than Junior’s, but a little classier and quieter; old school wood floors and low hanging lights. The bartender was a kind man named Hazel, who looked like he could pile drive a bear if given the chance. The old, ornate wooden door felt heavy as she passed through the entrance.

“Welcome.” The voice was deep. There he was, dutifully cleaning tumblers and glasses behind the bar. It was fairly crowded, but there were still a few free spots up by the counter. 

“Haven’t seen you in a while.” The bartender was just as huge as she remembered. Maybe he was an ex-wrestler or something. “What can I get you?” 

She wasn’t surprised he recognized her. Back when she first came to Vale she was a frequent flyer at most of the bars. Booze was cheap and booze was good. 

“Just whatever bottom shelf tequila you have is fine. Do you have those little umbrellas?” Yang ordered her drink with a forced smile, pulling her wallet out from her back pocket. She felt her pulse slowing down a bit now that she was finally out of the cold.

“Sure thing.” Hazel chuckled and turned to make her drink when a girl sitting a few seats down from her spoke up. 

“Put it on my tab, Hazel.”

Yang looked down the bar. She was around Yang’s age, maybe a bit older with beautiful long, black hair, a pair of citrine eyes, and a seductive, snakelike smirk. It made Yang want to see Blake’s amber eyes again. This girl’s were a similar shade but distinctly more… dangerous looking. Predatory. 

“You got it.” The bartender responded without looking back. 

“Hey, thanks.” Yang waved at the girl, taking a quick sip out of the tumbler Hazel put in front of her. No tiny umbrella, but beggars couldn't be choosers. She could never turn down a free drink. 

“Don’t mention it. You look like you could use a drink.” She responded, taking a sip out of her own drink, leaving a faint ring of ruby red lipstick on the edge. 

Yang swallowed. This girl was really pulling out all the stops. A few years ago, Yang would have been all over that, but she didn’t have it in her to flirt back. That, and Blake’s face kept flashing in her mind. She’d never really had too much trouble just sleeping around before, but Blake was… Blake felt different. 

_Stop thinking about her._ Yang mentally admonished herself. Blake would be better off without her. The faunus had a great family and great friends. She didn’t need Yang barreling into her life, messing with her mind, putting her in danger. _Weiss is right._

After that, she sat in silence, occasionally glancing over at the girl who’d bought her drink, sitting there in a black dress, chatting. She was with some dude with silver hair, who looked like a real slimy dude. Gross. She could definitely pull better if she wanted to. 

Yang pulled her phone out after she finished her glass, savoring the burning sweet flavor of the tequila lingering in her throat. The unanswered texts from Blake still remained, accompanied by a whole new slew of messages from Ruby, asking if she was ok and when she was coming home. 

_weiss and i wrapped up a while ago are you coming home soon? should i make you something to eat?_

Yang quickly texted her back.

_i’m ok rubes, thanks for checkin! I’ll let you know when im headed back._

_cool! I love you yang! :)_

_love you too ruby <3 _

With a sigh, she placed the phone back in her pocket and watched the silver haired boy leave the bar, leaving the mystery girl behind. She stood up from her seat as though she was about to follow after the douchey looking guy, but stopped and sat down in an empty seat next to Yang. 

“Mind if I sit here?” Her voice was low and sultry. Practiced. Yang wondered how often she did this. She was close, so close that Yang could smell wisps of cinnamon coming off of her. 

“Oh uh, no go ahead.” Yang gestured to the open seat. “I’m leaving soon anyways.”

“Really? That’s a shame.” She rested her chin on her hands, leaning against the bar counter. “Why not stick around for a while?” 

“I mean…” Yang turned to the side, feeling her cheeks heating up slightly. Blake continued to pop up in her mind, over and over again, like an alarm going off, buzzing, annoying, and incessant. She wanted to punch her brain. Weiss was right. She was a threat to Blake. 

“Something on your mind?” 

“... nothing important. What’s your name?” Maybe this would help. Just a quick little fling to take her mind off Blake. It wasn’t like they had been dating or anything. 

_Was that something that I wanted?_ No use worrying about it now. 

“Cinder.” She flashed a wide, bright smile. 

“Yang.” She smiled back and couldn’t help herself from licking her lips. Grabbing Hazel’s attention, she asked, “Hey, can I get another drink? Same thing if that’s cool.”

“What’s a girl like you doing here drinking alone?” Oh she was laying on the charm now. 

“Oh no reason in particular.” Hazel put another drink in front of her, telling her not to worry about it. Two free drinks? She wasn’t about to complain. 

Cinder hummed, viper like eyes sizing up her prey. 

\-----

Yang had sent Ruby a text letting her know that she was coming home. With a girl, if that was alright of course. She was sure Ruby wasn’t thrilled about it, but she told Yang that it was fine. Maybe she thought it was Blake. The two got to her apartment after a few more drinks, Yang in particular feeling a little more than tipsy, but she was beyond caring. Cinder seemed to be able to hold her alcohol quite well. 

“Cute place.” Cinder rapped her fingers quietly on the sister’s kitchen counter. They hadn’t done anything yet but Yang was 99% sure she was about to get laid, which was 100% gucci in her books. Anything to distract her. 

“My sis is here but she’s a heavy sleeper.” Yang pulled off her leather jacket and hung it on the door. 

“Are you insinuating something?” Cinder walked up towards her like a predator eyeing its prey.  
She pressed a finger against Yang’s chest, drawing it back up towards her collar bone. It sent a pleasant shiver down her spine. 

“I’d really like to see that dress on my floor.” Yang leaned forward and whispered in her ear. She could practically hear the blood coursing through the girl’s skin. 

Her hook up didn’t need anymore encouragement.

\-----

What were the odds that Raven Branwen’s daughter would wander into Hazel’s bar that evening? Cinder almost couldn’t believe her luck. Yang was fast asleep on her stomach next to her, chest rising and falling, naked and tangled in a mess of yellow and purple blankets. 

She trailed a finger along the blond’s muscular back. It had certainly been a _fun_ evening, but now it was time to work. Quietly, she slipped out of bed and stalked across the room to the exit, opening and closing the door with the practiced motions of an infiltrator. Yang’s phone was resting on the kitchen counter, it was locked, of course. 

She went back into the blond’s room, lying back down onto the bed with Yang. 

_What a sleepy little vampire._ She gently pressed Yang’s thumb onto the fingerprint reader. Technology was great. 

Cinder hummed quietly and helped herself to the contents of Yang’s phone. Someone named Blake had sent her about a thousand messages. Unimportant, but hilarious and oh so adorable. 

_A heartbreaker, just like her mother I suppose._ Now messages from the Schnees? Those were interesting. Or she thought they would be. Mostly it was just the younger Schnee being teased and the elder making sure Yang wasn’t getting into trouble. There was also mention of a meeting with Qrow.

Ah yes, Qrow Branwen. She was quite confident he and Ozpin were the ones hunting down her precious undead. It was quite rude of them really. She worked _hard_ to animate those corpses. This provided her with a lovely opportunity however. 

_hey Qrow? something happened with Raven i gotta talk to you_  
_can we meet tomorrow at junior’s?_

_Poor little bird._ She could hardly stop herself from smiling. Her message to Qrow was sent. Patiently, she waited 20 minutes (mostly spend reading Yang’s disgustingly sweet messages to Blake blugh) to make sure that Qrow had seen the message. 

_yeah that’s ok firecracker you need to talk now? What’d she do?_

Cinder replied. 

_i can wait just make sure you’re there ok?_

She waited five more minutes and deleted the texts right off of Yang’s phone. Her eyes fell back onto Yang’s sleeping form. The girl was strong, built like a tank. It was such a shame about her family, being on the wrong side and all. She knew her type; heroic and self sacrificing. Terribly droll, not that it was all bad. Yang would make an excellent litch if she had the misfortune to be slain by Salem’s forces. Vampires made for powerful, powerful corpses. 

She’d been hoping that that Adam fellow would drop dead soon, just so she could try it out. 

Her face was almost _exhausted_ from all her smiling. She arose once more to put the phone on the floor with Yang’s clothes. The girl had been so distracted earlier she wouldn’t remember that she’d originally left it in the kitchen. 

It was four in the morning now. She crawled back into bed and grabbed Yang by her shoulders, gently flipping the blond onto her back. Might as well use the girl while she was still there. 

“Ngh?” Yang’s eyes slowly blinked open. She pressed her lips onto the vampires and dragged her teeth roughly against them as she pulled away. 

“Up for round three?” 

“Hehe, yes mam’.” 

\----- 

To say that Blake was worried would have been a gross understatement. Yang hadn’t responded to any of her (dozens of) texts the night before. She hadn’t slept a wink and had spent most of the night staring at her phone, waiting for a reply. None came. Radio silence. Eventually, she just passed out at some point and was startled awake by the piercing tones of her alarm clock in the morning. 

The chaotic events of last night had left her and her friends wondering if it was all just a dream. They’d all made sure everyone got home safe and for a while, the texts were non stop until about 3 in the morning. Sun and Nora were the only ones who _actually_ had seen what happened, but that didn’t mean Ren, Neptune, and Jaune weren’t deathly curious as to the corpses they had seen. 

She was hoping they would wake up and think it was just some drunk hallucination or something. She herself knew everything to be irrevocably true. The zombie, while surprising, she had almost… expected. 

Yang’s evil looking doppelganger appearing and transforming into a raven however? The faunus found herself thrown for yet another loop. Winter had simply told her and her friends to return home that evening and that she’d contact Blake again the next day. 

She hopped into the shower, hoping that the warm steam and water would help her wake up and clear her thoughts. While she was cleaning up, she heard her phone ringing. Thinking it was Yang, she jumped out of the shower and nearly ate shit slipping on the tile floor in her haste. 

“Yang?” She panted, heart going a thousand miles a minute. 

__“... Ruby actually!”_ _

Her speeding heart sank and slowed. 

__”I’m sorry Blake, Yang’s uh-”_ _

“Is she ok? Did she get hurt last night?” Ruby didn’t sound like it was something serious, but it didn’t stop Blake from worrying. 

__”No she’s ok. Uh, we’re all gonna meet later today if that’s ok. Tucsan’s Coffee and Books around two?”_ _

“Yeah. Yeah that’s fine.” 

_”Ok. See you soon Blake!”_ Ruby’s normally saccharine tone sounded a little forced. She stood in her room holding her phone for a while, water dripping down off her hair and bleeding into her carpet. Two seemed ever so far away. 


End file.
